Punjab: Contempt petition filed against state government by Chintpurni Medical College students

Punjab: Seems like the anxious wait for the students at Chintpurni Medical College and Hospital is not yet over. Even though the court has ordered to shift the second batch of 101 students to other medical colleges in the state, there has been no movement on the court’s orders so far. This has led the students to file a contempt petition against the state government. This case will be heard in the court now.

It was earlier on June 7 when the HC had issued a directive to the state medical education department to shift the students of Chintpurni Medical College, after the said medical college hospital failed to secure MCI approval for this academic year. The permission to relocate the students was given by the central government, after having observed infrastructure deficiencies in the medical college hospital.

The first-batch of the college is reported to have been shifted to other colleges. The first batch started in 2011. Following the footsteps of their seniors, the enrolled batch of 2014-15 was also worried about the validation of their degree in future. They also questioned the college management’s failed attempt to get MCI recognition.

Now, in their contempt petition, these students have alleged that even though the court has directed the state education department to shift them to other medical colleges, there has been no further development on their case. The counseling process has not been initiated by the state government which is a mandatory procedure for getting approval from the central government for transfer of students.

Alleging that the government is deliberately delaying the process, students said that the delay had put their future at stake since their classes are not being held regularly.

The college authorities, they added, are also pressuring them to deposit next session’s fee of Rs 2.36 Lakh.

The junior students in their earlier plea to the court had apprised that even the recent round of inspection by MCI at the college has found it 100% deficient in terms of faculty. The MCI inspection report is dated March 16. Following which students had expressed anguish over the matter saying that the classes were not being conducted regularly, keeping their future at stake.

The first batch merit list granted 30 Pathankot students each to Patiala and Amritsar; 19 each to Bathinda (Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences) and Amritsar (Guru Ravidas Institute of Medical Sciences); 16 to Banur (Gian Sagar College), 15 to Faridkot, and 11 and 10, respectively, to Ludhiana’s Christian Medical College and Dayanand Medical College.