The apex court said results can be declared where the examinations have already been conducted and the admission process can go ahead as there was a need to safeguard interests of aspiring students who got caught in the legal tangle for no fault of theirs and are "victims of policy decisions".
It modified its December 13, 2012 order by which it had stated that the Medical Council of India (MCI), the Dental Council of India, as well as the States, Universities and other Institutions, will be entitled to conduct their respective examinations for MBBS, BDS and post-graduate courses but shall not declare the results of the same, until its further orders.
"Students, who aspire to gain entry into the medical colleges at the MBBS, BDS and post-graduate levels, have been caught in the legal tangle for no fault of theirs and are the victims of policy decisions. In order to safeguard their interests, as also the interest of the hospitals, we consider it just and equitable to lift the bar imposed by us.
"We modify our order of December 13, 2012, and allow the results of the examinations, already conducted, to be declared to enable the students to take advantage of the same for the current year," a bench, headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir, said.
The court's decision came while hearing 115 petitions challenging a Medical Council of India notification notifying a National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to MBBS and post-graduate medical courses conducted in colleges across the country.