CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has permitted the state government to file a petition seeking modification of its interim order, which directed the state government to submit a fresh proposal to the Board of Governors in Supersession of Medical Council of India for accommodating 108 students of the defunct Ponnaiyah Ramajayam Institute of Medical Sciences (PRIMS) in 22 government medical colleges in the state.
Additional Advocate General Narmada Sampath mentioned seeking clarification/modification of the interim order dated February 1, before a division bench comprising Justices M Sathyanarayanan and P Rajamanickam.
AAG Narmada Sampath submitted that the Essentiality Certificate does not contemplate that the students should be accommodated only in government medical colleges. The state government took a stand before a single judge that the government medical colleges were overloaded since they have already accommodated the students of another defunct institution, Annai Medical College, as per the directive of this court. Therefore, it would not be possible to accommodate these students in government medical colleges. They could be accommodated in 10 private medical colleges.
After obtaining the nod from the 10 private medical colleges to accommodate the students, the state government sent a proposal to the MCI, which also gave its approval. However, the students insisted that they should be accommodated only in government medical colleges like Annai Medical College students.
The single judge had passed an order to send a proposal to the MCI to accommodate these students in government medical colleges. Against which, the state government has filed the present appeal, she added and sought modification of the interim order to the effect that these students could be accommodated only in private medical colleges.
Advocate VP Raman, appearing for MCI, submitted that if the state government now wants to accommodate the students in private medical colleges, it has to get the proposal from the private medical colleges. If the state government sent proposals for both, the MCI will consider the same, he added.
Senior counsels P Wilson and S Silambannan, appearing for the students, submitted that as per the Essentiality Certificate issued by the state government, if a private medical college was shut down, it was the responsibility of the state government to take care of the interest of the students. Though the private medical colleges expressed their willingness to accommodate these students as per the stand of the state government, the colleges lack infrastructure facilities.
A unique situation has arisen. Accommodating the Annai Medical College students has nothing to do with these students. These students also belong to the same 2016-17 batch, but they wanted to join the second year students of government colleges, who just finished their first year and are doing their second year. The Annai Medical College students have already joined the
second year as students of government medical colleges and they are going to complete their second year now, they added. Asking the AAG to file a proper petition, the bench said it would hear the matter on February 13.
