Chennai: The state government on Monday informed the Madras high court that it would hold discussion with the department concerned on the matter relating to furnishing of two sureties from permanent government employee in the same or higher rank than the candidate for admission to PG Degree/Diploma courses in Tamil Nadu Government Medical Colleges and Government seats in Self Financing Medical colleges, and inform the court.
Advocate general Vijay Narayan made the above submission when a PIL filed by advocate T.K. Saravanan came up for hearing before a division bench comprising Justices S.Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad. As per the earlier direction of the bench, Advocate general also produced the list of candidates selected and submitted that there are 2,386 vacant posts of medical officers in the state government.
The bench posted to June 17, further hearing of the PIL seeking to declare as null and void clause 38 (d) and (h) of the Prospectus for admission to Post Graduate Degree /Diploma courses for 2019-2020 session, which requires furnishing of two sureties from permanent government employees in the same or higher rank than the candidate for admission to PG Degree/Diploma courses in Tamil Nadu Government Medical Colleges and Government seats in Self Financing Medical colleges affiliated to the Tamil Nadu Dr M.G.R. Medical University and Rajah Muthiah Medical college affiliated to Annamalai University.
According to petitioner, the prospectus required that the candidates seeking admission to PG Degree/Diploma courses in 2019-2020 session have to qualify the NEET PG 2019 conducted by the National Board of Examination besides basic qualification of MBBS. The rank list was drawn based on marks obtained in NEET and counselling was done on the basis of rank. The candidates, who have selected the seats in the counselling, received the certified provisional allotment order. The candidates have joined the course in the respective colleges allotted.
Clause 38 © of the prospectus stated that to ensure that the services of trained PG doctors were made available, an undertaking was obtained from them at the time of their admission and that this will discourage the attitude of the candidates who were not willing to serve the rural poor at whose expense they have been educated. Both the service and non-service candidates were required to serve the government for a period of 5 years after completing the course, if the government requires their services. It was further stated that they should also furnish an undertaking to this effect at the time of joining the course, he added.
Elaborating on the provisions relating to execution of bond, he said there could be no objection for execution of bond by the candidate as such. But the condition that the candidate should execute a bond with two sureties from permanent government employee in the same or higher rank than the candidate was unreasonable, irrational and unfair. Taking advantage of the same, some government officials demanded hefty sums of money for signing as surety, he alleged.
