Calcutta HC sets aside nominations for PG medical courses by private trust

The Calcutta HC has set aside the nominations made to PG medical courses in the Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education & Research (IPGEM&R) by a private trust, read here to know more.

A private trust had made nominations to PG medical courses in the Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education & Research (IPGEM&R) which the Calcutta High Court has put aside and said that such a process turns a blind eye to merit. Observing the long-term impact of such practices, the court opined that it would entail the public being on the receiving end of sponsoring future doctors without knowing whether they are the best of the pick.

It was further contended that the people nominated by the private Trust had scored lower marks compared to the petitioners in NEET–PG, 2021 and hence their nominations were contrary to the MCI Regulations, 2000. Pursuant to the rival submissions, the Court noted that the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 as amended and the Post-graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2000, particularly Regulation 9 thereunder, not only reinforce a unitary and single-point entry for admission to PG medical courses by way of a common eligibility test, but also that the order of merit cannot be tinkered with.

"There is no intelligible benchmark disclosed by the Trust as to the reason why the private respondents were recommended for admission despite having lower ranks compared to the petitioners in the NEET - PG Test. The assessment hence is a parallel selection process outside the recommended statutory framework and is subversive of the Act and the Regulations. The Trust has not only turned a blind eye to merit but has doffed its hat to the dilution of merit. The State is hence precluded by law to accept the recommendations," said the court, as reported by Live Law.

Such practice could have dangerous ramifications, says HC

As per the HC, such an exclusive selection of candidates which is unmonitored within the recommended guidelines would have particularly dangerous ramifications when the selection pertains to doctors and medical officers. It was further opined that the existing statutory framework was devised to safeguard the transparency of the selection process and to prevent the random picking of candidates through parallel channels without due regard to the merit position of the unified examination test.

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