On paper, the Khazar University contracted by the government of Azerbaijan, promised a medical degree to aspiring doctors at its Talegaon Road campus near Pune.
Probe panel found university had dubious admissions process and no land or affiliation
MUMBAI: On paper, the Khazar University contracted by the government of Azerbaijan, promised a medical degree to aspiring doctors at its Talegaon Road campus near Pune. The course, offered at Siddharth Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (SIMSR), the university offered students a seat without the need to sit for the Common Entrance Test (CET).
A three-member committee appointed by the Bombay High Court on September 19, 2007, to inspect the campus, found that the college had no teaching hospital, no clinical material and no teaching staff except for the dean. The 10 students who had enrolled were clueless.
The committee further found that the institution did not have the 25 acres of land required to start a medical college, according to MCI norms. The first-come-first-serve admission process was a violation of Supreme Court directives. Three out of four hospitals in Pune that the institute claimed to be associated with, had declined affiliation.
The scam came to light when Khazar University filed a petition against the Medical Council of India (MCI). The latter had asked the university to shut shop last year as the course offers part study in India and part study abroad — something not permissible in India for an MBBS degree. Thereafter, on November 21, 2006, the state government asked the university to shut down.
Last week, Justices Ranjana Desai and Roshan Dalvi slapped costs of Rs 50,000 on the university and directed it to pay Rs 25,000 to each of the members of the committee. As the university withdrew its petition, the court took no action but stated that the state government can take necessary action. “The state government is yet to decide its further course of action against the institute,” associate advocate general of the High Court Ashutosh Kumbhakoni said.
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