Kottayam: Acts of the Mahatma Gandhi University and the Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS) are in conflict over paramedical courses under the former's School of Medical Education (SME).
The Mahatma Gandhi University Act 1985 Section 23 Subsection 7 permits to "establish, maintain and manage colleges and institutes of research and higher learning as it may from time to time being necessary," and its Statute 1997 Chapter 6 Section 3 "to manage and control colleges instituted by the University".
The University established the SME by this Act. But the Section 50 (1) of the KUHS Act 2010 bars all institutions except professional medical colleges or teaching institutions under deemed universities and the national institutes from conducting courses in modern medicine, dental, Ayush, nursing, pharmacy and other paramedical medical and allied subjects.
KUHS registrar M.K. Mangalam doubts the legal validity of the MG courses.
“The KUHS bars the running of the courses by another university," she told DC.
"The report of the health and family welfare secretary is now before the university governing council. A letter dated has also been sent on Jan 10 to registrars of all universities in the state on this.
MG University Syndicate member K. Sharafuddin said the MG University Act permitted these courses and there was no legal hurdle in continuing them. The Act passed by the state legislature can be amended only by a legislative amendment. The MG University has the three centres of the SME and nine nursing colleges. The contradiction will undergo a legal scrutiny in the coming days.
