HC refuses issuance of permanent registration certificates

The Madras High Court today refused to direct Medical Council of India to issue permanent registration certificates to 78 MBBS students who had completed the course at an institution in Kanchipuram district.
The court also declined to direct MCI to conduct another inspection of Melmaruvathur Adhiparasakthi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research for granting approval for its courses.
Justice K K Sasidharan, making it clear that courts could not pass orders violating provisions of the statute, said "to grant recognition/approval of the degree, the medical college must possess all necessary infrastructural and institutional facilities."
"The inspection conducted by the MCI committee on two occasions in the institution found that the deficiency was beyond the permissible limits. MCI was, therefore, helpless to help the unfortunate students."

A batch of 78 students, who joined MBBS courses at the institution in 2008-09, had jointly filed a petition in the High Court stating that in spite of completion of their courses, MCI had neither recognised their internship training nor issued permanent registration certificates.
When they filed a similar petition last year, the court had on July 29, 2013 asked MCI to consider their representation and pass orders, following which MCI conducted two inspections.

While the first inspection showed the faculty shortage was 36.8 per cent, the second one brought out staff shortage of 46 per cent.
Neither the college nor the students revealed about the the second inspection to the court or the government but wanted MCI top brass to be hauled up for contempt of court.

The Judge said "the institution having failed to comply with statutory regulations should not be permitted to make use of the order passed by this court earlier in the interests of students".
"The court had not issued any direction to MCI to recognise the degree obtained by the 78 students. The court only directed MCI to consider and pass orders in the matter of recognition of the degree obtained by the students"
"There was no specific direction to recognise the MBBS degree without inspecting the institution in accordance with provisions of Indian Medical Council Act, 1956.