Around 40 students of D.D. Medical College, along with their parents, staged a protest outside the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University on Thursday demanding the students be accommodated in government-run medical colleges in the State.
The protesting students are among the 103 admitted in 2011-12 and form the second batch of the college. The Medical Council of India (MCI), the regulatory body for medical education in the country, had de-recognised the college in 2011 as it failed to satisfy several criteria, said a health department official.
The MCI had posted notices on its website saying the college could not admit students and that if it did so then it would be illegal.
But the college had advertised heavily and continued with its admission process.
The students belong to the second batch of the college. They wrote their exams last year but were told their course did not have MCI recognition. While 40 students chose to take legal action against the college, the rest are continuing their course in the college.
Students said they were told to appear for the second-year exams after paying the fee. They did so but when they sought hall tickets they were turned away saying the college had been derecognised and therefore, they could not appear for the exams.
Charles, a parent who participated in the protest on Thursday, said he had paid Rs. 25 lakh as capitation fee and Rs. 7.5 lakh as the first-year’s tuition fee. He had also paid Rs. 8.5 lakh for the second year. “Now I have no idea what to do. We will protest until the university and the government gives us a solution,” he said.
A senior health department official said the students were aware the college did not have permission to admit students. “All details are on the internet and in this electronic era, it is not right to say the students were unaware of the details. They must legally proceed against the MCI as the State government has no say in recognition of a medical college. We will ensure the first batch of students, admitted when the college had MCI approval, will be accommodated in other colleges if the need arises. As for those who were admitted after the MCI approval was revoked, there is nothing we can do,” the official said.
On Thursday, the website of D.D. Medical College had details about its entrance exam and a 16-page admission form for 2013-14 available for downloading. The admission form listed various ongoing projects, worth Rs. 6,000 crore, at the college.
