The Supreme Court has ruled that students must clear the NEET-UG exam in order to pursue medical courses abroad.
The Supreme Court has upheld the Medical Council of India’s 2018 regulation requiring students to qualify the NEET-UG exam in order to pursue undergraduate medical courses at foreign institutions. A bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and K. Vinod Chandran stated that this requirement promotes transparency and fairness in granting eligibility certificates, and does not conflict with any existing laws.
The Court rejected a request for a one-time exemption for certain petitioners, emphasizing that once the amended regulation came into force, any student choosing to study medicine abroad must comply with it. However, the regulation does not prevent students from practicing medicine outside India.
The bench further clarified that the regulation is neither unconstitutional nor arbitrary, and aligns with the provisions of the Indian Medical Council Act. As a result, all related petitions were dismissed.