The Madras High Court has condemned the Dean of Tirunelveli Government Medical College Hospital for having reported a wrong vacancy position with respect to postgraduate admissions to the secretary of the selection committee in the Directorate of Medical Education (DME).
Justice R. Subramanian wrote that though the action of the Dean in having reported an unavailable vacancy to the selection committee was condemnable, the petitioner would not be eligible to join any government college since she was already pursuing a PG course at a private college.
The judge said the petitioner had approached the court seeking a direction to the DME to admit her in MS (Obstetrics and Gynaecology) course at any government college in the State. She had cleared National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test and was allotted the PG course at Tirunelveli Government Medical College.
However, it was discovered later that there was a clerical mistake in apprising the vacancy position to the selection committee and that all 12 seats at the college were already filled up. The Dean wrote to the selection committee on November 30, requesting it to ascertain the possibility of creating a supernumerary post to accommodate the petitioner.
On receipt of the communication, the selection committee cancelled the petitioner’s allotment and hence she moved the court. Representing the selection committee, advocate M. Sneha said the committee could not be held responsible for the mistake committed by the college in reporting the vacancy position.
The counsel also told the court that the petitioner was guilty of suppression of facts as she was already pursuing a PG course in the same discipline at a private college in Chennai. According to clause 7 of the prospectus, candidates already pursuing a PG course were not eligible to apply either for the same or other disciplines.
The petitioner’s counsel claimed that his client had already given up the PG course at the private college, but the judge said such action could have been taken only after December 7 when the college issued a certificate confirming that the petitioner was pursuing DNB OG course there.
“It would automatically lead to the conclusion that the petitioner had resigned only after knowing that a PG admission at Tirunelveli medical college is in jeopardy. If the petitioner has taken the risk, she only has to be blamed,” the judge said and dismissed her writ petition.
