M A I N   N E W S

Health panel gives clean chit to Gian Sagar Medical College
Decision on whether the institute can hold fresh admissions today
Aditi Tandon/TNS

New Delhi, May 4
In the thick of a controversy for allegedly bribing president of the Medical Council of India Ketan Desai, the ownership of Gian Sagar Medical College in Patiala finally has some breather.

The Health Ministry, which had suspended the grant of permission for fresh admission to the college when the MCI bribery case broke out, will take a decision tomorrow on whether the college can make fresh inductions. The decision is likely to be positive considering the panel set up by the ministry to look into the facilities being offered by the college has given the latter a “clean chit”.

“The report has been handed over to the Health Minister in a sealed cover. Although the college has passed the panel’s test, the ministry is yet to take a final decision,” sources told the TNS. Headed by Additional Secretary Health, K Desiraju, the Health Ministry committee meanwhile found the said college had adequate facilities required for medical teaching under MCI rules. It is now up to the CBI to prove why the alleged money was handed over to Desai when the college did not falter on any basic requirements to run the medical course.

The committee is said to have stated that Gian Sagar Institute “had good infrastructure and had built on it over the past and there were no major reasons on the basis of which the college could have been denied recognition.” The committee also found the college fulfilling the land and building requirements under the MCI Act, with the ministry officials wondering what the alleged bribe would have been paid for.

“The onus is now on the CBI to prove the motive behind the alleged bribery of the MCI president by the college authorities,” sources added. The team was on the college tour last week and it yesterday submitted its report to the ministry.