Karnataka High Court directs NMC to take action against two medical colleges for illegally admitting students to PG courses
By The Hindu Bureau
Copyright thehindu
The High Court of Karnataka has directed the National Medical Commission (NMC) to initiate appropriate measures against two medical colleges for illegally admitting four students to post-graduate courses during 2023-24 directly, instead of admitting them through the mandatory counselling process conducted by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA).
A division bench comprising D.K. Singh and Venkatesh Naik T. passed the order while dismissing the petitions filed by four candidates — Tisa Robinson, Ashish Appasabeb Patil, Hemanth Kumar P. — who were admitting to PG courses by Kanachur Institute of Medical Sciences in Mangaluru, and Nishanth G.V, who was admitted directly by K.V.G. Medical College and Hospital in Sullia in Dakshina Kannada district.
Role of NMC’s advocate
The bench also said that it was ‘surprised and aghast’ by the submissions made by the NMC’s advocate, who had, on September 1, told the court that admission of these four students would be regularised as the colleges were compelled to admit them as KEA failed to fill up these PG seats through counselling.
As the bench found the submission of NMC’s advocate contrary to the Post Graduate Medical Education Regulation (PGMER) 2023, it directed the chairperson of NMC to file an affidavit about legality of admissions made by colleges directly.
The NMC filed an affidavit making it clear that admission of petitioners by the Kanachur and KVG colleges were illegal as they were admitted without going through the prescribed counselling process as per the regulation No.4.3 of the PGMER-2023.
NMC should deal with it
“We do not know whether the counsel for the statutory body can make submissions against the statutory prescription and against the stand of the statutory authority. We do not want to say more in our order, but it is for the NMC to consider the matter and deal with it appropriately. However, we do not approve the manner of the counsel for NMC to address the court against the statutory prescription and the stand of the NMC,” the bench observed in its final order passed on September 10.
The bench also pointed out that Kanachur college had a false affidavit before the court about communication of surrender of two seats to the Directorate of Medical Education.
