PIL by Medical Students From Ukraine in Indian Colleges

On November 29th, the Supreme Court of India heard a petition filed by Indian medical students studying in Ukraine who are seeking permission to return to India to finish their degrees at an Indian medical school.

ASG Aishwarya Bhati //informed the Court today that the Central government has filed its response in the current case.

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In response, petitioners’ attorney Maneka Guruswamy told the bench that her client had not been provided with a copy of the response.

“It’s okay, what’s the hurry? You will be served ” was the response from the bench.

In addition, ASG Bhati said, “I will serve a copy by today.’

Consequently, on November 29, 2022, the case will be heard by a bench consisting of Justices Surya Kant and Vikram Nath.

When this issue was first brought up in September, the Supreme Court recommended that the Central Government create a web site listing overseas colleges where the returning medical students might finish their degrees as part of the government’s Academic Mobility Programme.

The Centre’s affidavit in the issue said that the petitioner students could not be accommodated at medical institutions in India because to a lack of provisions in the law, thus the petitioners made this proposal in response.

The court was also informed that the National Medical Commission (NMC) has not approved the transfer or enrollment of any foreign medical students at any Indian medical institute/University.

On the other hand, the affidavit stated that the NMC would accept completion of their remaining courses in other countries (with the approval of their parent university/institution in Ukraine) in order to help and assist such returnee students who were unable to finish their MBBS courses in Ukraine. This Public Notice was issued on September 6, 2022 as part of the NMC’s Academic Mobility Programme.

An interim arrangement may be made in various Central/State/Private medical colleges in India so that the returnees can complete their medical education without losing an academic year, as the returnees’ petition stated, given that there is no hope of normalcy in the near future in Ukraine and back here in our country there is no emergency policy of the appropriate authorities and appropriate governments in accommodating the returning Indian medical students.

The petitioners also asked for the federal government to work with its counterpart in Ukraine and the country’s proper authorities to designate a number of central and/or state government and private medical colleges, as well as specific seats within those colleges, as overseas campuses of Ukrainian institutes so that students can continue their educations there temporarily until things return to normal in Ukraine and they can be returned home.

References:

Law Beat- https://lawbeat.in/top-stories/supreme-court-hear-pil-seeking-accommodate-medical-students-returning-ukraine-indian-medical-colleges-november-29
Education times - https://www.educationtimes.com/article/careers-medicine/95678195/indian-medical-students-in-ukraine-opting-for-transfer-to-russian-universities-need-to-be-cautious

Source-Medindia