New Delhi: A Supreme Court (SC) bench has ordered to conduct an extended second counselling on September 13-14 for the all-India quota seats after it found that several medical and dental colleges did not furnish information about vacant seats.

A petition filed by a number of students through Counsel A.D.N. Rao, alleged that this year, medical colleges across the country did not contribute as many as 700 seats to the all-India quota.

Many students who cleared the common entrance examination missed out on a seat in an institute of their choice after the second counselling for the all-India quota seats in medical and dental colleges was over. Moreover, there was no provision for a third conselling.

Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam agreed with the petitioners saying that 70 out of 117 medical colleges and 22 out of 27 dental did not furnish information about the vacant seats.

The Bench comprising Justices B.N. Aggarwal, H.S. Bedi and S.G. Sighvi ordered the Director General of Health Services (DGHS), which conducts the counselling, to find out the exact number of vacant seats from each college latest by September 5.

The Bench said, "The DGHS will compile the information latest by September 12 and will conduct an extended second counselling on 13th and 14th September at Delhi".