Kochi/Thiruvananthapuram: Brazen attempts at manipulating management quota MBBS admissions at private colleges have come to light, putting pressure on the state government to step in and ensure justice to meritorious candidates on the basis of their ranks in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). The Admission Supervisory Committee, headed by Justice J.M. James, has received 521 complaints on anomalies in admissions to self-financing medical colleges. Complaints include admission of candidates with lower ranks, rejection of applications without valid reason and non-publishing of the admission list online.
A tell-tale example of fraud attempt is a medical college listing a candidate with a non-existent NEET rank on its rank list. Out of a total 731,223 students who appeared for NEET for MBBS admissions across the country, 4,09,477 students qualified. However, the list submitted by the principal of Al-Azhar Medical College and Super Specialty Hospital, Thodupuzha, to Justice James shows that students with a NEET rank of 1,844,807 (Ashwin K. Shaji) and 1,175,031 (Greeshma Shaji) have become eligible for admission to the management quota!
Justice James has asked medical colleges to appear for a hearing on September 20 and explain their position.
He told this newspaper that there were mainly two types of complaints — rejection of applications on flimsy grounds and including students with lower NEET ranks in college rank lists. Among colleges in the dock are Al Azhar Medical College, Thodupuzha, Sreenarayana Institute of Medical Sciences,Ernakulam, Azeezia Medical College, Kollam, Kannur Medical College, Kannur and Karuna Medical College, Palakkad. The second set of complaints before the James committee was about the non-publication or partial publication of rank lists.
Complaints have been received against P.K. Das Medical College, Ottapalam, DM Medical College, Wayanad, SUT Medical College, Vattappara, Sree Gokulam Medical College, Venjaramoodu, Mount Zion Medical College, Adoor and Travancore Medical College, Kollam, Justice James said. Students, who submitted complaints, have been called for a hearing on Saturday. In case of complaints on rejection of applications on flimsy grounds, the medical colleges have been asked to allow these students to resubmit applications online. In case of other complaints the medical colleges have been asked to appear for a hearing on September 20.
Colleges have been asked to admit students to management and NRI quota seats from NEET only on inter se merit. Moreover, colleges were directed to make admissions only through an online process. This has helped in reducing the scope of manipulations and malpractices, Justice James said. An expert, who earlier manned the engineering and medical admission process, said that it’s high time the government took over the management quota admissions for the year. “The government should conduct it on its own. There is enough evidence before the James Committee on the manipulations made by managements. These evidences can help government to prove its stand in a court of law,” he said.
