CHENNAI: In a surprise move, the Madras High Court on Wednesday ordered a CB-CID probe into an alleged nexus between the Directorate of Medical Education and private medical colleges in the State.
While passing the order on a batch of petitions filed by several candidates who were denied PG admissions even after mop-up counselling, Justice Anand Venkatesh said that taking advantage of the pandemic, self-financing medical colleges had filled up 74 seats with “un-meritorious candidates.” The judge came down heavily on the medical admission process in his order, saying that even candidates with low scores were being given seats.
“There is something more than what meets the eye when it comes to filling up seats in private medical colleges by ways other than counselling. Obviously, these are all candidates capable of pulling strings, and had a clear understanding with colleges concerned,” he said.
The judge added that “every year, some mechanism is devised by self-financing colleges to fill-up vacancies in this manner.” Coming down also on the government, the court said, “The State can never take the chance of filling up a medical seat with ‘un-meritorious’ candidates since it directly involves the life of a person.” That is why the Supreme Court, the judge said, reiterates time and again that when it comes to PG courses, merit can be the only selection criteria.
He added: “Taking advantage of Covid, 74 seats were given in a platter to private colleges and these colleges merrily filled up the vacancies with candidates who could not even have dreamt of getting an allotment through regular counselling.” The CB-CID team is to be headed by an officer, not below the rank of an Assistant Commissioner, the Court added.
The team will be probing any conspiracy between the officials of Directorate of Medical Education and self-financing colleges in filling up stray vacancies this year; the amount received from each candidate who was admitted by the self-financing colleges on August 31 and other issues that unfolds during the investigation. The court ordered the team to submit its report on February 1.