HC holds admission of 150 MBBS students invalid

Updated on: Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Madras High Court bench here held as invalid the admission of 150 MBBS students to a private medical college in Tiruchirappali in 2009-10, but directed authorities, including Medical Council of India, to provide some relief to the students considering their case sympathetically.

Dismissing a petition seeking to quash an order of MCI not to enroll the students of the Chennai Medical College and Hospital and Research Centre, an offcampus institution of private SRM University (SRMU), Chennai, with Tamil Nadu MGR Medical University (TNMMU), Justice B Rajendran said the admissions were made in violation of regulations.

"When the initial admission itself is illegal, TNMMU cannot entertain any request to ratify it," the Judge said dismissing the petition filed by the college.

He said the full bench of the high court had already held that when the admissions were made illegally no lenient view can be taken into consideration.

The Judge criticised the TNMMU for committing a grave mistake in ratifying the admission earlier and then ordering discharge of the students after getting corrigendum order from the MCI. "If these thing are allowed everybody can go and admit students without affiliation," he observed.

The petition submitted that the SRMU wanted to set up an off-campus college in Tiruchirappalli with MCI approval, but since it was not materialising they set up the Chennai Medical College and Hospital and Research Centre with a proposal to seek affiliation under TNMMU.

The MCI, after inspection, gave indent letter following which the Central Government gave its permission to the college on July 14, 2009. Armed with the central government's order, the college sought affiliation from TNMMU and started the admission process.

However, the government, in its permission letter, had stated that the college would be started by SRMU, without mentioning the fact that it was under TNMMU.

Later, the TNMMU said one university could not grant affiliation to another university. Meanwhile, the MCI also issued a corrigendum that the college should be under the control of MMU and not SRMU and directed the MMU to discharge all the students.

Referring to the college's claim that the MCI originally committed mistake by recommending for affiliation for the college under SRMU, the Judge said the college and SRMU could not take defence under the argument. The court could only sympathise with them.

The Judge said the students had been left in the lurch due to the mistakes committed by others.

The TNMUU should take upon the responsibility to see that these students were given some relief. The MCI also can consider in this angle sympathetically, he said.

The court also directed that necessary approval be granted for third year admission so that the petitioner could participate in the counselling for 2011-12.

HC holds admission of 150 MBBS students invalid

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