The Supreme Court has reached out to entrepreneur Nandan Nilekani to recommend a technological solution to provide a fool-proof picture of what actually transpires during the Medical Council of India’s inspections of various private medical colleges across the country.
The court is inundated with disputes either by the MCI or by private medical college managements regarding the inspections of these institutions for granting them licence to admit students, etc. The prolonged disputes delay the admission of students.
“There are incessant disputes which reach this court about what actually transpired at inspections of various private medical colleges by the Medical Council of India. The parties contest virtually every fact that is recorded in an inspection,” a Supreme Court Bench of Justices S.A. Bobde and L. Nageswara Rao observed in its three-page order pronounced in open court on September 19.
The suggestion was made by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who is an amicus curiae in a petition filed by private medical colleges, including the Al Azhar Medical College and Super Speciality Hospital, located in Kerala. These institutions had been denied permission by the Centre to admit students to MBBS Course for the academic year 2017-18.
The MCI, through advocate Gaurav Sharma, also supported Mr. Sibal.
“We request Mr. Nandan Nilekani to go into this problem and give concrete suggestions to this court at the earliest… the respondent-MCI shall convene a meeting with Mr. Nilekani, Mr. Sibal, learned amicus curiae and any other learned counsel who may be interested in the matter, either at New Delhi or any other place in India within a period of 15 days from today. Mr. Sibal shall chair the meeting,” the Supreme Couret said in its order.
