Petition in Supreme Court against Lodha Committee for giving permission to medical colleges

appointed Oversight Committee headed by retired Chief Justice RM Lodha to oversee the operations of MCI. The petition claims that the oversight committee has been over-stepping its job of monitoring the work of MCI.

The petition has been filed by Anand Rai, Vyapam Whistle blower, alleging that the Committee overshot MCI and the Health Ministry's disapproval of hundreds of applications made by medical colleges without conducting any "fresh" inspection or assessment reports the

Hindu.

The petition pointed out that MCI had processed several proposals from medical colleges - varying from establishment of new medical colleges to renewal of permissions to increase in seats to grant of recognition to medicine courses for 2016-17.Of this, around 150 proposals for new undergraduate courses and 118 for super-specialty courses for 2016-17 were disapproved by the ministry on the recommendations of MCI after independent verifications had found several deficiencies in the colleges.

In the month of June, the three member committee, headed by retired Chief Justice, Justice Lodha howoever, granted amnesty to many private medical colleges, giving them a chance to submit their representations to the health ministry on their disapproval by MCI.
It is reported that the same were again scrutinised by the Medical Council Of India which reiterated its decision not to grant approval to these medical colleges However, in the month of August, the panel, overturning MCI's decision, is reported to have given permission to 26 medical colleges.

Read Also : Lodha Panel overturns MCI decision, gives permission to 26 medical colleges

This decision of the Lodha panel has been opposed by the petitioner, who has alleged that Committee overshot MCI and the Health Ministry's disapproval of hundreds of applications made by medical colleges without conducting any "fresh" inspection or assessment.

"The impugned decisions of Respondent No 3 (Lodha Committee) have the effect of compromising the standards in medical education and training in India and shall have an adverse influence on the career interests of students undertaking the undergraduate and post-graduate courses in the field of health and medicine," the petition alleged.