SC seeks Centre's response on plea filed by MBBS aspirant with learning disability

The medical aspirant with a learning disability has been denied MBBS admission reportedly on the basis that at present there is no scale to assess their mental illness.

The top court of India has sent notice to the Centre and others on a plea filed by an aspirant with a learning disability seeking admission to the MBBS course. The court has sought the Centre's response to this plea. 

The petitioner has sought permission to pursue medical education under the Persons with Disabilities Reservation as provided for under Section 32 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

Advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that NMC has deprived the MBBS aspirant having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Specific Learning Disability from pursuing a medical course on the ground that at present there is no scale to assess their mental illness.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices P S Narasimha and Dipankar Datta issued notices to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, National Medical Commission (NMC) and others to seek their responses.

"It is respectfully submitted that as far as Intellectual Disability having Specific Learning Disabilities (Perceptual Disabilities, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia and Development Aphasia) is concerned the stand of National Medical Commission is that currently there is no quantification scale available to assess the severity of SLD, therefore the cut-off of 40 per cent is arbitrary and more evidence is needed," the plea said, as reported by NDTV.

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