Medical College Under Scrutiny After All 18 PG Students Withdraw Simultaneously
The NY Tasgaonkar Institute of Medical Science in Karjat has become embroiled in controversy following a highly unusual situation where all 18 postgraduate medical students admitted under institutional and NRI quotas withdrew their admissions simultaneously. This coordinated action, which occurred just days after the college claimed these seats were filled, has raised serious questions about the integrity of medical admissions in Maharashtra.
Late Entry and Admission Discrepancies
The institute received approval to start postgraduate medical courses for the first time this year with 36 total seats. However, it only entered the state's centralized admission process during Round 3 of counseling. By the conclusion of that round, official records showed all 18 seats under the institutional and NRI quotas (which command higher fees) as filled, while four out of 18 subsidized state quota seats remained vacant.
When subsequent counseling rounds opened, the college declared zero availability for institutional or NRI quota seats. Yet, on February 20, the institution approached the Bombay High Court with a surprising petition claiming all 18 students admitted under these quotas had cancelled their seats and requesting permission to fill these seats directly at the college level.
Court Petition and Contradictory Claims
In its petition, the college stated: "It is submitted that Petitioner college was listed for admission when the 2 CAP rounds were already over. In short, Petitioner college was listed for admission only in the 3rd CAP Round. Since Petitioner college was listed for the first time for postgraduate course, there was very minimum response from the students and at the end of 3rd round out of 36, only 7 students selected in the 3rd round of admission reported and/or joined Petitioner college. Out of 36 seats, nearly 29 seats thus remained vacant."
The court granted the college's request, despite admission rules in the state CET Cell brochure specifying that PG medical admissions in Maharashtra must be conducted exclusively online by the state CET Cell with no provision for institutional-level discretion.
Questions About Timing and Transparency
Parent representative Sudha Shenoy highlighted that the college failed to disclose to the court that all institutional and NRI quota seats had been shown as filled in Round 3. She noted the state's legal response to this discrepancy was inadequate.
Dr. Siddhesh Nar, a senior official overseeing admissions at the state's CET Cell, confirmed the college emailed them on February 26 stating that 18 institutional and NRI candidates had cancelled admissions on February 24 and 25, attaching cancellation forms. "We asked the Directorate of Medical Education and Research to conduct an inquiry and submit a report to the state CET Cell," he stated. The DMER report has been submitted, though details remain undisclosed.
Multiple Red Flags Require Investigation
Experts emphasize that the perfectly timed collective withdrawal of all 18 doctors demands thorough scrutiny. Several critical questions need answers:
- What IP addresses were used for the admission registrations?
- Which banks issued the demand drafts for these admissions?
- How and why were the doctors' original documents returned after admission retention?
- What penalties were actually collected for these cancellations?
The situation raises significant concerns about private medical colleges filling vacant PG seats directly without government supervision, potentially compromising the admission process. Multiple attempts to contact the college for clarification yielded only a stock response: "Please message." Questions sent via message received no response.
This incident highlights potential vulnerabilities in Maharashtra's medical admission system that could allow institutions to bypass established procedures. The financial implications are substantial, with each withdrawal potentially costing approximately Rs 1.2 crore in lost fees, making the coordinated nature of these cancellations particularly suspicious.
