The Supreme Court recently asked Annasaheb Chudaman Patil Memorial Medical College, Dhule to deposit Rs 2.5 crores with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi for flouting its orders pertaining to the admission of MBBS students.
Even though the Supreme Court had passed a stay order, preventing the medical college from admitting students to its MBBS course, it proceeded to do so. A Bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justices P Narasimha and JB Pardiwala expressed that it did not want to touch upon the admissions of students but asked the medical college to pay up.
The medical college had an annual intake capacity of 100 seats for the MBBS degree course. For the academic years 2017-18 and 2018-19, the Medical College was not granted permission to admit students. In 2020, the Medical College submitted an application to increase its intake capacity from 100 to 150 for the academic year 2021-22. At the same time, its renewal of recognition had become due in 2021.
After the medical college furnished an affidavit stating that there were no deficiencies, the Undergraduate Medical Education Board of the National Medical Commission granted renewal of recognition in 2021 for the batch of students admitted for the academic session 2016-17.
Regarding the increase in intake of students, the medical college submitted an application and a physical inspection was carried out. In 2021, a letter of permission was issued subject to the specific condition that if the medical college was found not maintaining minimum standards, the letter of permission would be withdrawn.
A team of inspectors conducted a surprise physical inspection. The assessors found gross deficiency of faculty, residents and clinical material, among other aspects. Consequently, the letter of permission was withdrawn.
The medical college moved the Bombay High Court. The petition was disposed of while directing the NMC to conduct an inspection of the Medical College by 30 January 2022 and a final decision was directed to be taken by 3 February 2022. The petition was disposed of, on 25 January 2022, on the first date of hearing, without the NMC even filing a counter affidavit. Aggrieved, the latter moved to the Supreme Court. An application for modifying the High Court order was then filed by the Medical College.
On14 February 2022, the Top Court set aside the judgments dated 25 January 2022 and 2 February 2022 and restored the writ petition to the file of the High Court. NMC then filed a counter before the High Court.
The High Court, while upholding the withdrawal of the permission to admit 50 students, permitted the Medical College to continue with the admission of 100 students. The Supreme Court stayed this order on April 8, 2022.
Another inspections revealed that the medical college proceeded to admit 100 students even though no application was moved before the Supreme Court for variation of its stay order. The Court took note of this and came down heavily on the medical college. It made an attempt to overreach the process of the Court, the Court observed.
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