Thiruvananthapuram: In a show of bipartisanship, Kerala Assembly on Wednesday unanimously adopted legislation to regularise 2016-17 admissions to Kannur and Karuna medical colleges.
The admission regulatory authority had cancelled them because they lacked transparency and were arbitrary, which courts later upheld. It also found that the colleges had collected capitation fee, which is illegal.
Though Congress MLA V. T. Balram pointed out that the bill was to save private self-financing colleges, his leader Ramesh Chennithala rejected it.
Mr Balaram raised a point of order wanting to postpone the bill as the Supreme Court was to consider the case on Thursday.
Mr Chennithala asserted that he supported the bill considering the future of those students. He added that it was not an understanding between ruling and Opposition and criticised a section of media for creating such an impression.
Mr Balaram pointed out that the bill would result in corruption. However, Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan gave a ruling pointing out that there was no substance in his opposition.
Health minister K. K. Shylaja pointed out that changes had been brought out in the bill after getting a legal opinion. The Kerala Professional Colleges (Regularisation of Admission in Medical Colleges) Bill, 2018, replaces an ordinance in this regard. The student getting admission should have qualified as per the rank list based on the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). As per the Bill, an officer not below the rank of secretary will be authorised by the government as component authority to consider an application under this Act.
The Justice James Committee had cancelled admissions of 150 students and 39 seats in Karuna Medical College, Palakkad, and Kannur Medical College, Anjarakandy. The High Court and later the Supreme Court upheld the decision.
