The Supreme Court cancelled admissions to private medical and dental colleges done through private counselling sessions in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday, and instead ordered a centralised admission process in the state.

Ordering that the fresh admissions be completed within one week, a five-judge bench headed by justice AR Dave asked the state to allow two representatives from private colleges during the counselling sessions.The apex court’s order is in response to the Madhya Pradesh government’s contempt petition against admissions done through the Association of Private medical and dental colleges for five of the 11 colleges. Six colleges had opted for government-conducted centralised counselling.

The order is a boon for students who will no longer be required to attend multiple sessions which often clash. Also, they will now pay for just one session instead of many.The judicial bench, acting on the contempt petition, had stayed the admission process for undergraduate courses on September 14 . The state government assured the court that all seats will be filled in government and private colleges and there shall be no vacancy.

State counsel, additional solicitor general PS Patwalia referred to the SC verdict of May 2 in which the court ruled that since private medical colleges had sacrificed merit, admissions should be done on the basis of centralised counselling by the state government.He accused private colleges of admitting students not based on the NEET rank. Patwalia said colleges had also turned down admissions to those referred after the common counselling. Only those who applied directly to these colleges were given a seat, he alleged.

The order is also likely to impact the Maharashtra government’s petition in the top court that asked for a similar direction. The state wants deemed universities operating in the region to follow a centralised admission process