Madras high court comes to rescue of Iranian medicos

Chennai: The Madras high court has asked police to crack the whip on brokers who lure foreign students to medical colleges in the state without informing them about the eligibility norms. As many as 15 Iranian students joined the BDS course in a private college in the state without passing Neet, this being mandatory to pursue any medical course in the country. The court directed police to nab the brokers involved in the racket.

In his petition, Nasser Hamidavi Zegheiri, an Iranian student, submitted that he had completed pre-university diploma in Iran in 2002. The diploma course is equivalent to higher secondary in India. With the help of his friends he enquired about pursuing BDS in India. His friends suggested that he take admission in a medical college in Tamil Nadu. He paid '5 lakh and provisionally got admitted to the BDS course in Asan Memorial Dental College and Hospital, Keerapakkam, Chengalpet in 2016-17. He reached the country on a student visa. After paying the remaining Rs 20 lakh, he started attending classes in the college.

Meanwhile, Dr MGR Medical University sent him a letter stating that the institution was instructed to discharge all foreign students without Neet qualification admitted in the BDS course. 

Nasser and the Iranian Consul General of the Islamic Republic of Iran gave a complaint to Kancheepuram police against the management of Asan Memorial Dental College after he was removed from the college without paying him the '25 lakh collected from him for admission. Later other 15 Iranian students also filed similar complaints before police. 

When the matter came up earlier before Justice PN Prakash, the Asan Memorial Dental College and Hospital, issued a demand draft for '5.50 lakh to Naseer Hamidavi Zegheiri in the court on April 24. Subsequently, the college handed over a demand draft for Rs 47.90 lakh in favour of the Consulate General of Islamic Republic of Iran, to the Consul General.

Assistant Solicitor General Karthikeyan, who appeared for the Central Government on April 24 assured the court that the Centre will extend all help to the Iranian students to get their money refunded. He also handed over a list of the Iranian students who had paid fees. Counsel for the institution gave an undertaking to the court that the amount paid by all the students would be refunded, except for Daniel Vazirzadh, who allegedly did not pay any amount. 

The counsel further submitted that the total amount comes to Rs 53,40,000 out of which Rs 5.50 lakh was already paid to Naseer and the balance amount of '47, 90,000 will be paid by demand drafts before June 11, 2018. 

The counsel appearing for Zegheiri and the Consul General of Iran disputed the amount payable by the college and submitted that students paid more than the amount referred in the list. Justice PN Prakash said that at this juncture, this court does not want to go into this aspect. This court is of the view that at the outset, students should get back at least the admitted amounts immediately.

Vacating an interim stay on police to conduct a probe, the judge directed the institution to hand over all the demand drafts to the Consul General of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which had its account in Syndicate Bank, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, after giving a letter to the court as some of the students had returned to Iran. The court then posted matter for further hearing to July 2.