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A Public Interest Litigation before the Supreme Court has sought direction to accommodate the medical students returning from Ukraine and permit them to complete their education in Indian medical colleges with appropriate Indian or foreign degree as an emergency and one-time measure.

The plea filed by Parthvi Ahuja and Prapti Singh through Adv. Anoop Prakash Awasthi stated that as there is no hope of normalcy in the near future in the country of Ukraine and back here in our country there is no emergency policy of the appropriate authorities and appropriate governments in accommodating the returning Indian medical students, a stop-gap arrangement may be made in various Central/ State/ Private medical colleges in India so the returnees can complete their medical education without losing an academic year or chances to complete a medical degree.

The petitioners have raised "the plight of Indian Medical Students studying in the Institutions/Universities/Medical Colleges at Ukraine," and says, "There are students of engineering and other streams facing the same fate who are also required to be taken care of by the respondents by suitable and urgent actions."

"The doctors in India are short in supply and the pandemic like ongoing Covid-19 crisis has shown how valuable the contributions of doctors are in the well-being of the country's overburdened health infrastructure," the plea added.

It also mentioned that the value and contribution of the doctors in India is no secret, given the WHO norms of 1:1000, and that the doctor population ratio, in our country is at 0.68:1000.

Whereas, it says that there are nearly 18000 Indian students from medical and other streams, studying in Ukraine and now forced to come back, "putting their studies into an uncertain future". 

Therefore, it argues that there is a "duty cast upon us to meet out the present situation."

In addition to this, the plea has sought directions to the Central Government to coordinate with the Ukraine government and appropriate authorities in Ukraine and declare some central and/or state government/private medical colleges/some seats in the said colleges as overseas campuses of Ukrainian institutes for the purpose of continuation of studies as a one-time emergency measure till normalcy prevails in Ukraine and students may be taken back there for studies.

Cause Title: Parthvi Ahuja & Prapti Singh vs Union of India & Ors.