Bombay High Court rules against parents demand for additional seats in Sion medical college

The Bombay high court delivered a judgment recently against parents demanding additional seats in Sion medical college hospital. The case pertains to an application filed by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for Sion College to the MCI for increase intake of MBBS students in 2016-17. Sion Hospital and Medical College was seeking permission for 50 more MBBS seats. This is the first time the medical college hospital wants an increase in the MBBS seats in 52 years since its inception. However, its proposal is reported to have been rejected by the MCI.

MCI rejection is based on the single premise of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) incorrectly giving its consent to the proposal for 2015-16 in place of 2016-17. Even though the error was later rectified by MUHS by issuing an extension letter before the MCI deadline, the council still rejected the college proposal.

After which the parents of medical aspirants moved the court last week, after having accessed the documents through an RTI filed.

"So far as the BMC is concerned, it should a file a petition, if they want the medical admission seats to be increased,'' the HC said to TOI, not willing to let the BMC counsel argue on behalf of the plea raised by the students.

A parent implied that the court has observed on the case that the basic rights of the students have not been hurt as the medical college hospital continues to offer 100 MBBS seats. Only in case of any obstacle in getting admission to the 100 seats, parents posses a right to move the court. The additional seats to be acquired should concern BMC more than the parents.

Sion medical college is one of the 47 institutes in India which have not received permission to expand the MBBS seats capacity. In total 175 medical colleges, which includes 80 private institutes have been denied permission by the health ministry after MCI recommended them to do so.

A veteran educationist told TOI, "The scrutiny is definitely more as public colleges are in question. In the past, some of BMC's best colleges have been denied permission for frivolous reasons, such as absence of AC and lack of water." The college has appealed to the

Supreme Court assigned three-member oversight committee headed by former Chief Justice of India R M Lodha, which will look into the grievances of the 175 colleges.