Accommodate 144 students in 22 government medical colleges: Madras High Court

Chennai: In a major relief to 144 students of Annai Medical College and Hospital in Sriperumbudur, who were suffering due to lack of infrastructure facilities in the college and a non-conducive atmosphere for learning, as also the direction of the Medical Council of India debarring the college from making admissions for two years from 2017-18, the Madras High Court directed state government to accommodate all the students in 22 government medical colleges in the state. “The sorrow and suffering of the students are due to various stakeholders involved in the establishment of the medical college. This should not continue. All stake holders should necessarily approach the matter sympathetically with social responsibility to ensure that the order of this court is complied with promptly and the students are accommodated in government medical colleges at the earliest point of time,” said Justice N.Kirubakaran while passing orders on the petitions filed by the students.

 Referring to the submission of the advocate general that the essentiality certificate issued to the college was cancelled in 2011 itself and therefore there was no obligation on the part of state government to accommodate the students in other government medical colleges, the judge said that government cannot escape from its liability as it should have opposed the establishment of the medical college when approval was granted by the MCI stating that the essentiality certificate was already cancelled.“Thus, state government is responsible for granting approval and affiliation and also including the name of the college in counseling,” the judge added. The judge said it was not only the duty of state government to go by the undertaking but also safeguard the innocent students who continue to suffer for no fault of them. They could not continue their studies from October 2017 till date. The judge directed state government to send the proposal to the MCI to accommodate the students studying in Annai Medical college within one week.

On receipt of the proposal, the MCI should take a decision and forward the same to the Apex Court monitored Oversight Committee within one week. The Oversight Committee should take a decision within one week on receipt of the decision of the MCI and forward the same to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, which shall pass necessary orders increasing the number of seats in government medical colleges and approve the accommodation of students studying in Annai Medical college in the 22 government medical colleges functioning in the state, the judge added.