Chennai: Pointing out that the National Institute of Siddha in Chennai is not being administered properly and without recognition, the research centre is said to have admitted the students for doing research programme which, itself, is not correct, the Madras High Court posed nine queries to the Union government and National Institute of Siddha (NIS), to have a comprehensive idea about the administration and working of the Institution.
Justice N Kirubakaran posed the queries while posting to March 22, further hearing of a petition from Dr I Nithyamala. The judge said, though the petitioner has been selected for PhD research programme in Gunapadam subject by the NIS, the eligibility certificate for doing that programme has to be obtained from the university. However, the university informed the petitioner as well as NIS that recognition for the department of Gunapadam, NIS, Tambaram, has not been renewed and therefore, renewal has to be obtained. Therefore, the petitioner has approached this court to refer her name for the July session by granting eligibility certificate and provisional registration, the judge added.
The judge said, “Without getting recognition, admitting the students for doing research programme itself is not correct. This itself would show as to how the NIS is being administered by the Central government. Though the institute was inaugurated in 2005 with much fanfare as an autonomous body under the department of Ayush of the ministry of health and family welfare, Government of India, the case at hand would show that the NIS is not being administered properly”.
To know the correct position under which the Institute was being administered, the Union government and NIS was directed to give details on how many departments were established, courses being conducted by each department, infrastructure availability at NIS, current staff details, including vacancy, details of fund allotment by the GOI for the last 10 years, including for the six other apex institutions in addition to NIS, availability of medicines and equipment to treat the visiting patients with numbers treated and details of students who completed research programme.
