Chandigarh, March 6
An aspirant for a doctor’s job in Punjab — the selection process taken care of by the Punjab Public Service Commission — had done his MBBS from a private college in Maharashtra with 58.3 per cent marks. Let alone the low percentage, he took eleven long years (1993-2004) to complete his five-and-a-half-year duration medical course. PPSC result: Among top five!

Another candidate seemed so sure of his prospects that just before the interview he switched over from the reserved category of sports, where he would have competed with only a handful, to the general category. PPSC result: Among top 10!

Yet another aspirant cleared her MBBS with 57 per cent marks. Her attempt certificate reveals that she cleared her first prof exams of MBBS in two attempts, II in two attempts, III prof in five attempts and the final in three attempts, a total of 12 attempts instead of four. PPSC result: Among top 20!

These are a few of the surprising entries in the PPSC merit list of doctors — the list comprising of “chosen ones”, Punjab’s rich and powerful, desperate for the elusive government job. A Tribune investigation has found that the selection of 312 doctors last year by the PPSC was done through a process that barely veiled the intentions of those involved in the selection process, with 50 per cent marks allocated for the interview alone.

Sources have told The Tribune that the posts were up for sale and anything between Rs 12 lakh and Rs 20 lakh per post was gathered by several conduits across the state allegedly on behalf of those running the show at the PPSC.

The most used channel for the purpose, as per sources, was an ASI-level cop who worked in connivance with a revenue department official, who allegedly had an access to those who mattered. A senior vigilance bureau official, too, reportedly had his men contacting applicants, offering “competitive” rates.

Several senior doctors of the state, as also some candidates, are also said to have turned into “middlemen”. A former MLA of the state, it is alleged, charged a fee for getting names of certain candidates into the “sifarish list” — allegedly drawn up by the state’s political bigwigs.

Documents gathered under the RTI Act by The Tribune also show that the selected doctors include close relatives of judges, ministers, MLAs, IAS and IPS officers. The selections were made in two lots of 100 and 212 for which interviews were held between February and October last year.

The RTI documents reveal that PPSC’s merit list of the first lot of 100 medical officers was a collection of below-average students, many of whom had done their MBBS from private colleges in Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Nepal on a paid seat. Also, many of them had cleared their medical degree in several attempts and had failed in one or more subjects during the course.

While these candidates were selected, the meritorious ones, some of them even toppers in pre-medical entrance tests, colleges and universities, were ignored.

A “topper” scored a mere 57.4 per cent in MBBS. Yet another top-ranker, son of a bureaucrat, scored 58 per cent marks in MBBS, which he took six-and-a-half years to complete. An MBBS from Jammu University, with 56 per cent marks, also made it to the top ten positions.

PPSC chairman Sanjit Sinha could not be contacted. However, PPSC member Brig (Retd) DS Grewal said the commission had selected the medical officers through a proper process in which the interview boards left no room for any discrepancy. “No complaints whatsoever were received by the PPSC alleging that money had exchanged hands for filling up these posts.”

(To be concluded)