The department has received complaints about rigging in the MCI elections. An inquiry has been ordered into the conduct of the elections by the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER).
Following allegations of rigging of Medical Council of India (MCI) elections by doctors in Maharashtra, the state government has launched a probe to investigate the matter.
State's medical education department minister Vinod Tawde told dna, "The department has received complaints about rigging in the MCI elections. An inquiry has been ordered into the conduct of the elections by the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER)."
A delegation of doctors from Indian Medical Association (IMA) approached Tawde with the complaint after all their efforts to complain with DMER were futile. According to MCI norms, the doctors receive ballot paper from the DMER. They are supposed to cast their vote and post the ballot paper back to the DMER.
"Complaints of irregularity were noticed by poll observers. Mass voting and bulk postage were being practiced. All the proofs have been handed over to the medical education department in the state after DMER refused to take cognisance of our complaints," said an IMA official.
IMA had sent up to eight complaints citing irregularities to DMER in the past one month. "DMER has not bothered to address the complaints," said the official. Dr Pravin Shingare, director, DMER is the returning officer in-charge of conducting MCI elections to select representatives from Maharashtra.
dna had first reported on April 9 that doctors had approached Matunga police alleging massive rigging in MCI elections, which are conducted through postal ballot. 3,700 postal ballots were dispatched from one address in Dadar (pin code 400014) on Monday.
On Wednesday, ballot papers of another 1,895 doctors were discovered to have been posted from the same address. "These doctors hail from different parts of the state. It is questionable as to how their ballot papers were posted from Dadar when their home towns are far from Mumbai," said Dr Suhas Pingle, state secretary, IMA.
120 doctors across India are elected to be a part of the MCI panel. Constituted by the Ministry of Health in the central government, in country-wide elections, once in five years, the MCI panel has many powers including designing of medical curriculum and courses for the entire country.
It regulates the setting up of new medical colleges and works on charting out medical ethics. Up to four doctors from Maharashtra will represent the state in the MCI panel. "Of these, three doctors are elected from medical colleges in Maharashtra and one is elected from 85,000 registered medical practitioners in the state," said Dr Shivkumar Utture, executive member, Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC).
Dr Nagsen Ramraje, Dr Ashok Aadhav, Dr Girish Maindarkar, Dr Tushar Jagtap and Dr Jagiasi Bawa are the five candidates contesting the polls for one seat to be chosen out of 85,000 doctors.
Doctors said that returning officer Dr Shingare should have complained of irregularity. "Only when the returning officer complains of irregularity can the police register a criminal case," said an IMA official.
Dr Shingare, however, said, "I see no irregularity in the conduct of elections. According to the MCI rules, I have to accept any postal ballot which is sent to DMER through post office."
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