In Brief
In this case, two private medical colleges and two universities sought an extension of the admission deadline (31 May 2017) for postgraduate medical courses, citing vacant seats caused by administrative disruptions in counselling. The Supreme Court considered whether an earlier order about manual counselling procedures applied to postgraduate admissions. Analyzing the sequence of prior orders, the Court concluded that the manual counselling procedures (order dated 9 May 2017) applied only to undergraduate MBBS courses, not postgraduate courses. Consequently, the circular based on that order was not effective for postgraduate admissions. The Court held that while extensions to time schedules are rare, they may be granted in exceptional circumstances; however, since the applicants' relief was premised on a misapplication of the 9 May order to postgraduate admissions, their applications lacked legal foundation and were rejected.
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