Kathmandu, September 14:

The Supreme Court today issued an order to government authorities to appear in court on September 21 for a hearing on whether or not to issue a stay order on a petition on the selection of students for medical sciences education.

A single bench of justice Tahir Ali Ansari issued the order to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Cabinet, Ministry of Health and Population, Ministry of Education and Sports, Medical Education Department of the Tribhuvan University and the Nepal Medical Council.

The bench also issued notices to the authorities, directing them to clarify why they refused to enrol Ram Binaya Shah in a medical education course.

Shah, 34, of Tarapatti village development committee in Dhanusha district, had challenged the enrolment system that bars persons aged above 25 years from pursuing medical education.

According to Shah, though he has passed proficiency level (health lab) exams, the Tribhuvan

University refused his application to enrol for the MBBS BDS programme because he has crossed the age of 25.

This rule has barred hundreds of students from pursuing medical education, the petitioner claimed.