HC highlights need for transparency in management quota seat admissions

Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) pulled up for taking lakhs of rupees for admissions to MBBS course.

BANGALORE, 06/05/2012: Students appearing for UGET 2012 exams, entrance test conducted by “Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka†(COMEDK), at KIMS, Banashankari 2nd stage, in Bangalore on May 06, 2012. Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Noticing exchange of lakhs of rupees for admissions to MBBS course under the management quota by the Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Bengaluru, the High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday asked the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the Union government to take steps to evolve a technology-based transparent process for admission to management quota seats.

Justice H.G. Ramesh issued the direction on noticing “malpractices” that are taking place in KIMS, managed by Rajya Vokkaligara Sangha, Bengaluru.

Observing that the father of an MBBS seat aspirant had given an undertaking that he takes risk for his son’s admission as it would be in excess of seats stipulated for admission under management quota, the court also noticed that the student’s father had also stated in the undertaking that besides paying stipulated fee of Rs. 4.89 lakh, he had paid Rs. 65 lakh as hospital development fund and Rs. 47 lakh paid to the two directors of the sangha.

‘Money paid to directors’

Interestingly, though the KIMS itself had produced the copy of the undertaking to show that the student’s father had taken risk of provisional admission in excess of intake, it denied the receipt of Rs. 47 lakh by two of its directors — A. Ravi (Rs. 30 lakh) and Shekar (Rs. 17 lakh).

“It is difficult to comprehend as to how a medical college could obtain an undertaking like the above. This is more like a business transaction…. Having regard to the nature of the undertaking obtained by the college [KIMS] and the way money was collected to give admission to a student for MBBS course, I am afraid whether the sangha is managing an educational institution or a business house. The undertaking reveals the malpractices that are taking place in the college and the sangha,” observed Justice Ramesh.

Also, the court said the MCI and the Union government shall take a serious note of the matter and shall take corrective measures inter alia to make the admission process transparent at all stages, including applying for admission to unfilled seats, management seats, and so on, with the help of technology.