NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has said that if you want to practice in India based on a foreign medical degree, you must clear NEET in India before joining the course in the foreign country. An eligibility certificate is essential to join a foreign medical course. However, to get the certificate, one must qualify for NEET. The Supreme Court has approved this provision, which was introduced in the Medical Council of India Bill in 2018.

It did not consider the host of petitions filed against the provision. The provision is not unconstitutional. It is not arbitrary or unreasonable. Therefore, the court clarified that it is dismissing those petitions. Students like Arunaditya Dubey argued that the provision is illegal. However, the National Medical Commission said that the action is to ensure transparency. The February 4 verdict was uploaded on the official website of the Supreme Court yesterday.

The Supreme Court clarified that there are no grounds to interfere with the mandatory eligibility restriction. If an individual enrols in a foreign course without obtaining an eligibility certificate with NEET qualification after this new law has come into effect, they will not be permitted to practice in India. If one wants to practice here, one must follow these rules. This has been clarified in the Indian Medical Council of India Bill. At the same time, a bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and K. Vinod Chandran also clarified that no one is blocking the right to practice outside India.