HC seeks Centre, MCI reply on med. College re-inspection plea

The Delhi High Court today sought responses of the Centre and Medical Council of India on a medical college's plea for implementing the Health Ministry's suggestion to MCI to inspect such institutes and see if they are complying with all norms prior to granting them permission to admit students.
Justice Manmohan said that at the initial stage he cannot direct a fresh re-inspection of the petitioner institute, Shree Chhatrapati Shivaji Education Society, without hearing MCI and listed the matter for further hearing on September 30.
The institute has primarily raised two issues before the court, i.E why MCI is not adhering to the timeline for conducting inspections and secondly why the Centre's letter of July 8 is not being implemented.

As per the July 8 letter, purportedly written by the Secretary, Union Health Ministry, the government has asked MCI to carry out the requisite inspection so that the number of seats in MBBS courses in the country does not come down on mere ground of technicalities.
The Health Secretary had requested MCI to take immediate steps in "larger public interest" to ensure that the authority "is not seen working against the public interest".
The government had also noted in its letter that MCI appears reluctant to carry out compliance verification assessments.
"I am also informed that approximately 150 cases have been referred to MCI for review and a majority of these colleges are government colleges. The government cannot afford to accept the possibility of losing such large number of MBBS seats on the ground of mere technicalities.

"In view of this, to provide opportunity to more students to get MBBS seats in all medical colleges in the country it is suggested that MCI may file an IA in Priya Gupta case before the Supreme Court to get order dated June 6, 2014 modified to the following extent to ensure that MCI has adequate time to carry out compliance verification assessment wherever necessary," the letter written by Lov Verma, Health Secretary, has said.