SC panel overrules MCI on colleges

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 14

In a major embarrassment to the Medical Council of India (MCI), the Supreme Court-appointed panel monitoring its functioning has overruled the Council’s decision denying permission for the establishment of 86 new medical colleges for the current academic session starting September 30.

The three-member panel headed by former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha, upon review of MCI’s rejections, has granted permission to 26 new colleges out of the 86 rejected earlier. The panel yesterday sent its recommendations to the Health Ministry, paving the way for the establishment of these colleges, which will be added to the existing 400.

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Among the newly approved institutions are Ananta Institute of Medical Sciences, Rajasthan; NIMRA Institute of Medical Sciences, Andhra Pradesh; Saraswati Medical College, UP; Sri Sakshi Medical College, Madhya Pradesh; World College of Medical Sciences, Jhajjar, Haryana; Kerala Medical College; NC Medical College, Panipat (Haryana); Local Medical College, Saharanpur and Prasad Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow.

Sources said blanket rejection to new medical colleges is not the order of the day and even the Supreme Court has in the past revised MCI’s rejections on a range of grounds.

After the MCI rejected 86 applications, the SC appointed oversight panel (OC) comprising ex-CJI Lodha, former CAG Vinod Rai and renowned liver expert SK Sarin opened a fresh window from June 15 to 22 asking applicants to apply afresh and show compliance.

“The OC received 39 applications from institutions promising compliance by September 30 when the new session starts. The panel after considering these cases has granted a go-ahead in 26 cases,” a Health Ministry source said.

Lodha panel’s approval, however, comes with three strict riders. These 26 institutes will have to give an undertaking to the MCI that they won’t remain deficient when the new session starts on September 30; they will have to give to the MCI bank guarantees worth Rs 2 crore each; thirdly, the OC has reserved the right to inspect these new colleges before or after September 30 to see if they are complying with norms.

“If the OC is not satisfied, it has reserved the right to debar new colleges from admissions for the subsequent two years. This is the practice the SC has followed in granting approvals to new colleges,” a Ministry official said.

The 26 new institutes will however get MCI's letters of permission for new campuses after they submit undertakings from state governments that they will remove the deficiencies by September 30 when the new batch of MBBS students comes in. State governments routinely give such undertakings to seek MCI clearances for state-run medical institutions.