Controversy surrounds Karnataka Medical Council elections; IMA moves HC alleging foul play
Bengaluru: Controversy has erupted amid the elections for the next 12 Members of the Board of Management of Karnataka Medical Council (KMC) with allegations surfacing as such that over 10,000 names are missing from its voters' list. Infuriated by an alleged foul play, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has moved the Karnataka High Court.
With over 1.2 lakh modern medicine practitioners with it, the Karnataka Medical council is one of the larger state medical councils in the country.
It has been reported that in the recently released voters' list by KMC, many members were shocked as names of around 10,000-12,000 doctors were missing from it. Even the names of a few doctors who want to contest are missing.
Meanwhile, the medical council has justified citing that some of the doctors whose names are missing are dead while some have migrated to other states or settled abroad. A huge chunk of doctors failed to renew their registration since 2016 and their names have not been included.
Giving clarification, KMC president Dr H Veerabhadrappa informed TOI that the doctors who refused to renew their registration would not find their names in the voters' list. "To clean up KMC's data of doctors, we started the renewal of registration in 2016 and initiated continuous medical education (CME), which mandates every doctor to collect 30 credit hours, by attending workshops and seminars within five years. Some doctors failed to renew it as they refused to be part of the registration and CME," he said.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported about all the information pertaining to the state's medical council elections which are set to commence from January 25 next year.
The medical council election will be conducted from 4 revenue divisions of the state namely Bangalore, Mysore, Belgaum and Gulbarga, (under section 3 (2)(a)&(b) of the amendment act of the Karnataka Medical Registration Act 1961). The members will hold office for the next 5 (five)years from the date of election to the council.
From out of these 4 revenue divisions members, are to be elected members from each division -two members from among the Medical Practitioners and one member from among the teaching field. Thus from all the 4 revenue divisions 8 Medical Practitioners and 4 teachers total 12 members are to be elected to the KMC Bangalore as its members of Board of Management. Eligible Members with Voting Rights have to elect 12 members to the council.
The polling is scheduled to take place on January 23 from 10 am to 5 pm and the venues will be published at the division-level office and the website.
Calendar of events for the Karnataka Medical Council Elections
1. Opening Date for the eligible candidates wishing to contest to file their Nomination paper.
Date: 01-01-2020, Wednesday from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm. Nomination paper to be submitted to the Returning Officer/Election Officer or an Officer Authorized by him at :- Bangalore Revenue Division – Kamataka Medical Council No.16/6, 2nd Floor, Miller Tankbund Area, Vasanthanasar Bangalore-52. Mysore Itevenue Division-The Election officer/Deputy Registrar of Co-operative
Societies. Mysore.
Belgaum Revenue Division – The Election officer/Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Belgaum. Gulbarga Revenue Division – The Election officer/Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Gulbarga. [Election Officer or the Authorized Officer working in the Revenue Division]
2. Last Date and time for the eligible candidates wishing to contest to file their Nomination paper. (Rule 9(V)of the Karnataka Medical Registration Rules 1963 Amendment Rules 2019)
Date: 10-01-2020, Friday from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm. Nomination paper to be submitted to the Returning Officer/Election Officer or an Officer Authorized by him at :- Bangalore Revenue Division-Karnataka Medical Council No. 1616, 2nd Floor, Miller Tankbund Area, Vasanthanagar Bangalore-52. Mysore Revenue Division-The Election officer/Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Mysore.
Belgaum Revenue Division – The Election officer/Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Belgaum Gulbarga Revenue Division – The Election officer/Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Gulbarga [Election Officer or the Authorized Officer working in the Revenue Division]
3. Verification of nomination papers by Returning/Election Officer: (Under rule 1l of the Karnataka Medical Registration Rules 1963,)
Date:13-01-2020 Verification of Nominations from I 1″00 am. Bangalore Revenue Division-Karnataka Medical Council No. 1616, 2nd Floor, Miller Tankbund Area, Vasanthanagar Bangalore-52. Mysore Revenue Division-The Election officer/Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Mysore. Belgaum Revenue Division – The Election officer/Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Belgaum Gulbarga Revenue Division – The Election officer/Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Gulbarga
4. After Verification of nomination papers by Returning/Election Officer announcement of the list of candidates whose nominations are in order.
Date: 13-01 -2020 After Verification of nomination papers by Returning/Election Officer of the revenue Division announcement of the list of candidates whose nominations are in order. Bangalore Revenue Division-Karnataka Medical Council No. 1616, 2nd Floor, Miller Tankbund Area, Vasanthanagar Bangalore-52. Mysore Revenue Division-The Election officer/Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Mysore. Belgaum Revenue Division – The Election officer/Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Belgaum Gulbarga Revenue Division – The Election officer/Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Gulbarga
5. Last date for the Candidates to withdraw nomination (Karnataka Medical Registration Rules 1963, and amendment rule 12)
Candidates can apply to withdraw their nomination to the Returning officer/ Election officer of the revenue Division on 17-01-2020, Friday within 3-00 pm. Bangalore Revenue Division-Karnataka Medical Council No.l6l6, 2nd Floor, Miller Tank bund Area, Vasanthanasar Bangalore-52. Mysore Revenue Division-The Election officer/Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Mysore. Belgaum Revenue Division – The Election officer/Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Belgaum Gulbarga Revenue Division – The Election officer/Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Gulbarga [Election Officer or the Authorized Officer working in the Revenue Division]
6. Notification of the list of Valid candidates to contest in the election by the Returning officer/ Election officers of the four revenue Divisions.
Date:17-01-2020 Friday After 3.00 pm. in the oflice of the Returning officer or the Election officers of the revenue Division. Bangalore Revenue Division-Karnataka Medical Council No. 1616, 2nd Floor, Miller Tank bund Area, Vasanthanagar Bangalore-52. Mysore Revenue Division-The Election officer/Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Mysore. Belgaum Revenue Division – The Election officer/Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Belgaum Gulbarga Revenue Division – The Election officer/Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Gulbarga.
7. Polling venue, Date and time (Under Karnataka Medical Registration Rules 1963, Rule 7(d) of the amendment rules 2019)
Date: 23-01-2020,10.00 am To Evening 5.00 pm. Special Notice: – The venues where the polling will be held will be published Revenue Division wise separately through Newspaper/KMC Website notification/ KMC notice board display 15 days prior to the date of polling.
8. Date Time and venue of counting of votes
Date:25-01-2020, Saturday, 10:00 am, Until the counting is concluded, The venues where the counting is held will be published in Newspaper/KMC Website notification/ KMc notice board display 15 days prior to the date of election.
9. Election result declaration by the Returning officer / the Election officers of the four revenue Divisions.
Date:25-01-2020, Saturday, Election result will be declared soon after the counting is concluded.
The total number of seats to be elected for the Karnataka Medical Council is 12 ———– namely out of the 4 Revenue Division, two Medical Practitioners from each Revenue Division, totally 8 Medical Practitioners and out of the 4 Revenue Divisions one teacher from each Revenue Division totally 4 teachers from Teacher's constituency thus 12 members have to be elected.
(Under Section 3 (2) (u) and (b) of the Amendment Act of 2017, of The Karnataka Medical Registration Act of 1961)
Instructions for Candidates
1. To facilitate polling by the KMC members Polling booths will be set up in the district centers of the 4 Revenue divisions of the state. The address of the District polling Centres will be published 15 days prior to the poll, publicly in the newspapers, on the KMC website and on the notice board of KMC.
2. The voting will be based on the address of the members of the council in the jurisdiction of the respective revenue division out of the 4 Revenue Divisions of the State. Only two persons from among the Medical practitioners and one person from the Teacher's constiuency of that Revenue Division shall be elected. Please take note that if more candidates than as stated above is voted such a ballot paper will be rejected. [Amendment Act 3 (2) (a) & (b)]
3. Since the voter on the final voter's list of the respective revenue division has to select two candidates from the Medical Practitioners constituency and one from the Teacher's constituency, only one person will be eligible to sign the candidate's nomination as propor.. und only one person will be eligible to sign as seconder for each of such number of .undidut.s. If a person proposes/seconds for more than two nominations from the Medical Practitioner category and more than one from the Teachers gory such nominations will be rejected. (Rule 9(3) of Karnataka Medical Registration Rules 1963)
4. Candidates contesting the election can obtain the nomination paper in Form-II from the Returning Officer/Election Officer free of cost in office hours. [Rule 9(1)]. And as per rule g (2), the proposer/seconder must be a person whose name is in the voter list of the respective revenue division.
5. As per Rule 9(iv) candidates contesting from the respective revenue division shall submit their nomination papers voluntarily to the Returning Officer/Election Officer appointed by the Returning Officer within that division. [Amendment rule 15 (3)]
6. Candidates filing their Nomination should submit their nomination papers to the Returning Officer/Election Officer within the prescribed time of 5 pm on the prescribed date in the calendar of events mentioned above, either personally or through registered post. [Rule (9) and amended Rule (v)]
7. Please note and time will that the Nomination papers received after the prescribed date and time will be rejected. [As a rule (6)]
8. Nominations received within the prescribed date and time will be published on the medical council's official website and on the notice board of KMC. [As per amended rule (7)].
9. Candidates while submitting their nomination papers to the Returning Officer / Election Officer should invariably attach a D.D. of election deposit of Rs. 500/- drawn in favour of the Registrar of the Medical Council failing which such nomination papers are not accepted and the money deposited will be forfeited to the council. Action will be taken to refund the deposit under Rule10(1), [Rule 10 (l), (2) and Amendment Rule (10).
10.Candidates who are contesting may be present personally or through a representative during the scrutiny of nomination papers. The decision of the Returning Officer/Election Officer regarding scrutiny of nominations papers and eligibility shall be final and the publication of the list of eligible nomination papers will be done after such scrutiny. [As per rule 11]
11. If the nomination papers equal to the number of candidates to be selected from the revenue division wise Elections are found eligible such candidates will be declared elected. In case there are nomination papers less than the number of candidates required to be elected then the ing officer/Election officer will declare the candidates who will lin after the withdrawal of nomination as elected. [As per rule 13(1) rule 13 (2)].
12. If the number of candidates remaining in the contest is more than the number of candidates required to be elected, then the Returning Officer/Election Officer after the time allowed for withdrawal of nomination paper is over, will notify the names and address of such remaining candidates in the notice board of the Medical Council and also on the official website of KMC as candidates remaining in the contest in the election of the Revenue Divisions [As per section 13 (3) of the amended Act.]
13. The members voting shall read the names of candidates remaining in the contest identify their number and name and then cast their votes.\
14. Members must show the identity card with their photo issued by the KMC during voting. In case they do not have such identity card, it is mandatory to show the Voter ID issued by the Election Commission of India or the Aadhaar card to the election officers/Election staff failing which the members will lose the opportunity to vote.
15.The counting of votes will be conducted at the headquarters of the respective revenue division and the result will be announced on the same day. The overall result will be announced at the Bangalore polling centre by the Returning Officer.
l6.Members should specifically mention in their nominations from which constituency (Medical Practitioner or Teacher's Constituency) office they are contesting.
17. KMC elections are being conducted as per the provisions of conducting election in the Karnataka Medical Registration Act, 1961 and amendment acts 2003 and 2017 also under the provisions of Karnataka Medical Registration Rules 1963 and amendment rule 2019 for more information members can refer the provisions of the said Act and the amendment Act and the rules and the amended rules.
l8.Candidates who are contesting the election will be allowed to contest only from their respective constituency (Medical Practitioners constituency and Teachers' constituency)
19. The candidates for being elected as KMC management board members should possess the eligibility qualifications specified under the Karnataka medical registration Act, 1961 and Amendment Act, 2017 and under the Karnataka medical registration Rules 1963, amendment rules 2019.
20. Notification regarding the calendar of events of elections in the revenue divisions under the Karnataka Medical Registration Rules 1963 rule 19(1- A)(ii)of the amendment rule of 2019 published by the Returning Officer/ Election Officer of the revenue division will be displayed in their respective office notice boards, or in the notice board of the council and in the Medical Council's official website.
21. Provisions are made for the Council members to refer information about the election either on the Office Notice Board or on the Medical Council's website.
22. Under rule 8 of The Karnataka Medical Council amendment rules, it is announced that action under Rule 4, 5 and,6 of the Karnataka Medical Council Amendment Rule to publish the final revenue division wise voter list is taken.
23. Under rule 9 of the Karnataka Medical Council Amendment rules, elections are being held in all the 4 revenue divisions of the State and the members of the Council coming under the jurisdiction of the respective Division shall be eligible to vote for the candidates contesting in the same division.
Read Also: Karnataka Medical Council Elections 2020: All you need to know
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