Six Puducherry medical colleges asked to pay Rs 30 lakh fine

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Wednesday ordered six medical colleges in Puducherry to jointly pay Rs 30 lakh fine for flouting the Medical Council of India (MCI) regulations and not following the Central Admission Committee (CENTAC) merit list while admitting students to postgraduate medical courses in 2017. The court also upheld the MCI’s orders to cancel admission of 65 students, who were selected through illegal methods.

The case pertains to the admission of candidates to PG Medical (degree and diploma) courses for the academic year 2017-18 through CENTAC. However, without approval of the CENTAC and Puducherry government, the institutions admitted students unilaterally after obtaining cash amounts from them. The MCI had subsequently cancelled the admissions.

Justice Anand Venkatesh passed the orders in a batch of pleas moved by the institutions and students challenging the MCI order. All students have completed the three year courses and are awaiting their final exam results. “The students’ results will be subject to the ruling in these petitions. To an extent, this court also should take the blame in delaying the hearing,” he added.

The MCI during the hearing argued that the candidates’ admission was in total violation of regulations and no equity can be claimed by them. All admissions are liable to be terminated, the council’s counsel added. The judge observed, “The respective institutions are liable to pay for the dubious methods adopted by them in filling seats unilaterally at the cost of denying admission to candidates who appeared on the merit list and were allotted seats by the CENTAC.”