The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Probe ordered into ‘sale’ of PG seats High Court Round-Up

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Thursday, May 29, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Probe ordered into ‘sale’ of PG seats High Court Round-Up

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday took a serious note of the allegations by a doctor that some medical colleges in the State were involved in the secret sale of postgraduate (PG) seats.

It directed the one-man regulatory committee, which monitors admission and fee structure in private professional colleges, to investigate the complaint.

The court directed the committee, headed by former Bangalore University Vice-Chancellor N.R. Shetty, to investigate the complaints and submit a report to the court by June 6, 2008.

The court was dealing with a petition by Rekha Sharma, a doctor, who wanted to do her postgraduate studies in medicine.

Dr. Sharma said she had appeared for COMED-K entrance test for admission to postgraduate course on January 27, 2008. She said she secured the 307th rank.

Counselling for admission to COMED-K colleges was held from April 11 to April 28, 2008.

She said she and several other merit students could not secure seats as students who had already secured seats in other medical colleges had been granted a seat in COMED-K colleges in Karnataka.

Such students, she claimed, surrendered the seats to the colleges in which they had secured admission.

These students were given money for surrendering the seats and the colleges made lakhs of rupees while making fresh allocation for such seats.

She gave the example of five students who she claimed had already been allotted seats. These students had, however, given up the seats to the management instead of surrendering the seats to the cell that made the admission. She said at least four medical colleges are involved in the racket.

She urged the court to ensure that one more round of counselling was conducted so that several other merit students could be allotted seats.

Justice B.S. Patil directed the one-man committee to investigate the allegations made in the petition and file a report before the court.

He adjourned further hearing on the case.

Speed governors

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Cyriac Joseph and Justice A.N. Venugopala Gowda on Wednesday directed the Transport Commissioner to be present in person in the court on Thursday.

The Bench was dealing with a public interest litigation (PIL) petition by a resident of Bangalore seeking installation of speed governors in transport vehicles. The petitioner said the rule had made it mandatory for all new vehicles to be fitted with speed governors and this was not being followed.

The Bench observed that it would ascertain the facts from the Transport Commissioner and adjourned further hearing on the case to Thursday.

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