The prime medical education regulator, i.e., Medical Council of India (MCI) has cancelled the admissions of 778 students in private medical colleges across Puducherry. These colleges have arbitrarily violated the admission guidelines prescribed by the Supreme Court. On September 7, 2017, MCI issued an official letter cancelling these admissions. Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, Kiran Bedi had earlier complained to MCI regarding the loopholes in admissions for the sake of money, thereby disregarding merit.
Also Read: - Bhopal Candidates Protest Against Irregularities During NEET Counselling
Indira Gandhi Medical College, which is run by the state government, is the only college that followed the admission guidelines prescribed by the Supreme Court. Even though the Government of Puducherry constituted Centralised Admission Committee (CENTAC), the seven private medical colleges across the state had violated the guidelines and admitted the students directly without considering their NEET merit or score.
Also Read: - Best Books to Prepare for NEET
All the medical colleges in Puducherry together offer 1,200 MBBS seats, out of which a majority of them are in private medical colleges. Only 283 seats are meant for students of Puducherry under the state quota. The remaining 767 seats are for aspirants from across the country. In the year 2016, all 283 seats had not been filled under state quota. The vacant seats under state quota were added to the all India pool.
A parent of a medical aspirant alleged that out of 778 admissions, 770 seats were applicable under All India Quota while eight in state quota was made fraudulently. Students who secured high scores in NEET were also denied admission with money taking precedence over marks.
On the other hand, parents who paid lakhs of rupees as course fee were of the opinion that scrapping of admission a year later was very unfair.