Medical admissions in Puducherry: HC sends notice to Govt

Puducherry: A petition filed by advocate V B R Menon seeking a probe into the undergraduate and postgraduate medical admissions for the last two academic years in private medical colleges and deemed universities has resulted in the Madras High Court issuing notices to the Puducherry and Union governments, private medical colleges and hospitals and deemed universities in the Union territory of Puducherry.

Justice K Ravichndrabaabu and Justice T S Sivagnanam have posted the case for hearing on January 22.

Advocate Menon has sought a court directive to various government bodies, officials and the Pondicherry University for the constitution of an independent body with adequate statutory powers to scrutinize, monitor, and regulate the undergraduate and postgraduate medical admission to the private institutions.

The bodies, individuals, and university to be addressed by the Court are to include: Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry, Union Human Resources Development Ministry, Medical Council of India, University Grants Commission, Health Secretary, Puducherry Chief Secretary and Health Director, Pondicherry University and Lieutenant Governor's Secretary.

Advocate Menon has sought appropriate disciplinary action involving de-recognition of the private institutions if proven to have been involved in malpractices in the admission process in the last two academic years.

The advocate in his observations highlighted the fact that the Permanent Admission Committee, Chairman and Retired Judge, Justice Chitra Venkataraman and Fee Committee, Chairman and Retired Judge Justice Rajeswaran had submitted reports listing illegalities committed by the private institutions in the admission process.

The Medical Council of India (MCI), he added had ordered that the students admitted wrongly (postgraduate(95); and undergraduate courses (778)) for the two successive years,2016 and 2017 be removed from rolls.

The Counsel further revealed that colleges had yet to comply with the Council orders. The CBI had filed a case against 13 people, including government officials and representatives of private institutions, after carrying out repeated raids, the Counsel further revealed. He said the sleuth agency had booked them on charges of misconduct, criminal conspiracy, and cheating in the admission of students to colleges.

Menon further alleged that the corrupt college managements have in the past been causing setbacks to medical education by encouraging admissions nonmeritorious candidates through auctioning of seats and collection of capitation fees through profiteering; an act constantly being cautioned against by the apex Judicial authority of the country.

"Instead of functioning as charitable institutions imparting the noble profession of medical education to meritorious students, the above medical colleges are functioning as profit-oriented commercial enterprises with no concern for the quality of education that they impart or about its impact on public health," he stated, reports TOI.

Read also: AIADMK seeks judicial probe into irregularities in medical admissions