Did you follow apt procedures for MBBS admissions this year: Madras High Court asks state

CHENNAI: Wondering whether appropriate procedures have been followed in the selection of candidates for MBBS admission into the medical colleges this year, the Madras High Court has ordered the state government to file its stand on various queries asked by the bench.

The matter came in front of the court via a petition filed by one concerned person who sought directives to the Tamil Nadu Government to undertake the necessary and proper counselling and mop-up procedure to fill up the 207 Management quota seats, that have become available owing to non-filling of NRI quota seats, as per merit and prescribed procedure in the admission for medical colleges.

Earlier, this petition was dismissed by the Single Judge against which the petitioner preferred this appeal.

During the hearing, the counsel on behalf of the petitioner pointed out to the court that as per Clause 11 of the prospectus issued by the selection committee unfilled NRI quota seats in the first round of counselling should be filled up only from the NRI candidates through manual counselling and the said seats should not have been reverted back to the management quota. According to the appellant, 260 seats were earmarked under the NRI quota, out of which only 53 persons were selected for admission under the NRI quota and the balance 207 seats were declared as vacant and those seats which have been reverted to the Management should also be filled up as per merit.

In favour of the argument, the counsel further put his reference on an earlier judgment of the Supreme Court where the bench had held:

…the State Government shall conduct manual counselling for allotment of students and after the completion of counselling, the State Government shall determine the number of seats that are still vacant and thereafter shall forward a list of students in order of merit, equalling to ten times the number of vacant seats to the medical college so that in case of any stray vacancy arising in any college the said seat may be filled up from the said list. However, in the State of Tamil Nadu, 207 seats under the NRI quota remained vacant and without conducting manual counselling for those seats, the State Government returned it to the Management and the Managments are said to have filled up those seats allegedly without following merits by getting huge sums for those seats.

The state denied the allegations of any discrepancy in the medical counselling process.

Further, the HC bench of justices N Kirubakaran and P Velmurugan observed from the public domain that certain malpractices have been committed to getting admission in the medical college.

In this context, the court referred to the recent fraud case of NEET impersonation where one candidate got MBBS admission in the Theni Medical College by making another student write the NEET and a case has been registered against the said student candidate.

Medical Dialogues had recently reported that showing no leniency to the accused MBBS student, the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court recently denied anticipatory bail to the candidate. The candidate and his parents were nabbed by the CB-CID officials.

Read Also: No bail for medico who joined MBBS at Theni Medical College without NEET

Taking note of the submissions made in the petition, the court observed that these contentions against the state cannot be ignored and "this Court would like to know whether the appropriate procedures have been followed in the selection of candidates for admission into the medical colleges."

The court issued the following directives to the state including the submission of the below-mentioned details in the next hearing and answers to the various queries raised by the bench concerning the MBBS admission process carried out this year.

The court sought details of:

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  The list of candidates admitted under the NRI quota with their respective marks [Category wise viz., OC, BC, MBC etc., details have to be provided].

  
  


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  The list of candidates admitted under the State quota with their respective marks.[Category wise details have to be provided]

  
  


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  The list of candidates admitted under the All India quota with their respective marks. [Category wise details have to be provided]

  
  

The court raised the following queries:

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  How many persons are said to have obtained admission in medical colleges by impersonation?

  
  


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  Whether the authorities to have verified the identity of those candidates who wrote the NEET examination and those who got admitted in the Medical Colleges?

  
  


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  Whether any other case of impersonation or cheating have been detected?

  
  


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  What is the stage of the case filed against the student of Theni Medical College who is alleged to have obtained admission fraudulently by impersonation?

  
  


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  Is it a fact that the Principal of Theni Medical College has not taken any action in time, inspite of knowing about the fraudulent admission obtained by the student?

  
  


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  Whether all the statutory procedures have been duly followed by the authorities, right from permitting the students for examination after verifying the identity of the students?

  
  


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  Wether the authorities have identified any other fraudulent methods like dual nativity certificate by which medical admission have been obtained by any other student?