Pleas seeking HC’s intervention over issues of NRI quota in private medical colleges dismissed

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court recently dismissed pleas seeking Court’s intervention over the issue of NRI quota in private medical colleges in the state as well as compliance with Supreme Court’s guidelines on the same. The matter was heard by the Division Bench of Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya. The Public Interest Litigations (PIL) were from 2019. One of the PILs pertained to the allegations of illegal filling up of seats for NRI students by a medical college.

The advocate for the National Medical Commission submitted that after 2020 the entire Rules were changed. After 2020, the counselling authority was changed from the university to the medical counselling committee. University is only the admitting authority and not the counselling authority, it was submitted by the advocate.

The advocate for the petitioner submitted that the Supreme Court had given guidelines for compliance of NRI quotas in connection with private medical colleges in the state of West Bengal. For all the medical colleges in the state, there are certain criterias that need to be fulfilled. In 2019, the petitioner who was a lawyer at Calcutta High Court had given a notice to the colleges stating that there are 15 per cent quota which have been approved by the Supreme Court.

Another allegation was that the NRI quotas are being sold at a premium price. In connection with this plea which sought for an enquiry into this, the Division Bench observed that unlike before the rules have become more stringent. “The present guidelines says either the father or mother or blood relative alone can sponsor a candidate. Now things have changed,” Chief Justice Sivagnanam observed.

Apart from that, there has been changes in sponsorship of candidates as to who can sponsor candidates to be admitted under the NRI quota. “That apart, the students who are alleged to have been given admission in violation of the norms have completed the course by now and as of now the entire issue has become academic and nothing would survive for adjudication,” the Division Bench observed, while disposing of the writ petitions.