The fate of over 200 students, who joined a private medical college in Tiruvallur district, is at stake with the Madras High Court on Wednesday quashing its earlier order to accommodate them in government institutions. Parents of the students said they were disappointed over the judgment.
A Division Bench comprising Justices M. Jaichandren and M. Venugopal passed the judgment on appeals by D. D. Medical College and DD Hospital at Kunnavalam.
“Our future is bleak. We are upset as we have expected good results. Now that the case has been set aside I don’t know what to say. We have already spent time and money for our children’s future. What is the status of our children’s Class XII mark sheets and original certificates? We will get the copy of the order on Friday and after that, we will consider the next course of action,” said Dev Ilangovan, father of Reshmi, one of the affected students, who had initiated judicial proceedings against the college over a year ago.
On January 20 this year, a single Judge directed the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the State government to accommodate the students of 2011-12 and 2012-13 academic years in government medical colleges in the State for 2014-15. This should be done by increasing the intake of government institutions, he said. Challenging the order, the college filed appeals.
In its judgment, the Bench said the students were not entitled to any right for being accommodated in government medical colleges.
It said the single Judge had given proper reasons for upholding the MCI’s decision to withdraw its Letter of Permission dated July 12, 2010, for establishing the college. Similarly, the Judge had rightly found that the MCI had not followed the principles of natural justice before deciding to debar and blacklist the D.D. Medical and Educational Trust and its trustees permanently from making any application for starting a medical college.
The court had already upheld the MCI’s decision to withdraw the Letter of Permission granted to the college for 2010-11.
As the students of that academic year had been accommodated in government medical colleges in Tamil Nadu, the Bench said the State government’s request to encash the bank guarantee stood approved.
The Bench set aside the MCI’s decision to debar and blacklist the trust from making an application to start a medical college in the country, permitting the council to take an appropriate decision relating to the issue after giving a reasonable opportunity of personal hearing to the trust.
