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SC seeks to put stop to babu ‘browbeating’
With the change of guard in a State, the tendency of the incumbent Government to “browbeat” bureaucrats into changing stand on politically sensitive decisions evoked strong displeasure of the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
In a matter related to withdrawal of recognition to a medical college in Haldia (West Bengal), the Court’s attention was drawn to an affidavit filed by a Pro-Vice Chancellor of the West Bengal University of Health Sciences wherein he admitted that the affiliation of the said college was deficient. Incidentally, a year ago he had himself approved it after examining its infrastructure.
The only thing that changed between the date of granting recognition to the college - ICARE Institute of Medical Science and Research on August 13, 2010 and the date for withdrawing the same last week was the change of guard in the State with Trinamool Congress replacing the CPI(M) Government.
The Pro V-C Prabir Kumar Sur in his affidavit said, “At the time of inspection, the Inspection Committee (which he headed) was apprised by the petitioner that they are in the process of constructing a new building for the dental college and another building was under construction was also shown to the Committee.” In the under-construction building, the medical college was to be housed.
Later in the same affidavit filed through advocate Chanchal Kumar Ganguly, Sur said, “I personally visited the campus of the petitioner on September 4, 2011, when I realised for the first time that there was serious discrepancy as to the disclosure about infrastructure facility as stated by the petitioner in their application for affiliation for the MBBS college.”
Finding it hard to go by this statement of the officer, the bench of Justices RV Raveendran and AK Pattnaik remarked, “He was lying either then or now. How can we go by the word of a man who admits that what he says is a lie?” Wondering whether this change of stand had anything to do with the pressure exerted by the new Government in place, the Court warned, “We will not permit Governments to browbeat anyone under its pressure.”
To get a clear picture, the Court directed the Medical Council of India and Dental Council of India to conduct joint inspection of the campus and submit a report to Court by October 12.
Meanwhile, the college was permitted to admit students on the undertaking that each admission would be subject to the outcome of the Court proceedings and students taking admission may do so at their own risk.
In a matter related to withdrawal of recognition to a medical college in Haldia (West Bengal), the Court’s attention was drawn to an affidavit filed by a Pro-Vice Chancellor of the West Bengal University of Health Sciences wherein he admitted that the affiliation of the said college was deficient. Incidentally, a year ago he had himself approved it after examining its infrastructure.
The only thing that changed between the date of granting recognition to the college - ICARE Institute of Medical Science and Research on August 13, 2010 and the date for withdrawing the same last week was the change of guard in the State with Trinamool Congress replacing the CPI(M) Government.
The Pro V-C Prabir Kumar Sur in his affidavit said, “At the time of inspection, the Inspection Committee (which he headed) was apprised by the petitioner that they are in the process of constructing a new building for the dental college and another building was under construction was also shown to the Committee.” In the under-construction building, the medical college was to be housed.
Later in the same affidavit filed through advocate Chanchal Kumar Ganguly, Sur said, “I personally visited the campus of the petitioner on September 4, 2011, when I realised for the first time that there was serious discrepancy as to the disclosure about infrastructure facility as stated by the petitioner in their application for affiliation for the MBBS college.”
Finding it hard to go by this statement of the officer, the bench of Justices RV Raveendran and AK Pattnaik remarked, “He was lying either then or now. How can we go by the word of a man who admits that what he says is a lie?” Wondering whether this change of stand had anything to do with the pressure exerted by the new Government in place, the Court warned, “We will not permit Governments to browbeat anyone under its pressure.”
To get a clear picture, the Court directed the Medical Council of India and Dental Council of India to conduct joint inspection of the campus and submit a report to Court by October 12.
Meanwhile, the college was permitted to admit students on the undertaking that each admission would be subject to the outcome of the Court proceedings and students taking admission may do so at their own risk.
