In Brief
Subharti Medical College sought to increase post-graduate seats in Ophthalmology (from 4 to 6) and Orthopedics (from 2 to 5) for 2017-18. The Medical Council of India approved and recommended the increase after inspection. However, the government rejected the application because the required bank guarantee was not submitted by the stated deadline, though the college received the regulatory letter only days before the deadline and submitted the guarantee within three days. The Supreme Court allowed the petition, holding that the technical lapse in meeting the deadline was beyond the college's control and should be condoned, especially as the respondents themselves delayed two months in processing the bank guarantee before rejecting it. The Court directed acceptance of the bank guarantee and implementation of the approved seat increase.
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