Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (MS)

Bengaluru, Oct 16: It is feared that the multi-crore scam that came to light during the search by the Income Tax department officials in the state might well be a national level scam that may have the involvement of scores of medical entrance coaching centres, private and deemed medical colleges and students.

According to the sources at the Income Tax department, considering the mammoth scale of the scam, the probe in all probability will be taken up by a central investigating agency like CBI. Already the regulatory agencies of Medical Council of India (MCI), Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) and Directorate General Health Sciences (DGHS) are monitoring the admission process that was held for the present and previous years.

Giving his opinion on the scam, justice B Manohar, chairman of admission overseeing committee of the state, said, "A national level probe is needed to know the exact depth of this scam as this is not limited to our state alone. Only a central investigating agency can unearth the real extent as this involves several exam coaching centres, mediators, fake candidates and most importantly managements of medical colleges all over the country."

The investigations by the IT department have come to the conclusion that middlemen of medical universities approach the coaching centres, especially in the states of Bihar and Rajastan and make bright students to write NEET exam and block the seats against the lure of money. In this process, both the coaching center and the bright students, who write the exams are paid a staggering amount against their service according to the information given by an official of the IT department.

The assessment of the scam is being done and reports are ready to handover the investigation to both CBI and ED, which will be investigating the scam in the angle of money laundering also. It is also said that scores of admissions will be cancelled if the regulatory agencies like MCI, MCC and DGHS come to a decision to act tough on their findings.

According to an IT official no checks are put on deemed universities. The managements of such institutions have taken great advantage of this loophole. Only a detailed and deep investigation will unearth the whole scam, says the official. Medical colleges affiliated to universities are much in control compared to the deemed universities. In Karnataka itself there are eight deemed universities and in total across India. There are 38 medical colleges in Karnataka, out of the total 52, which are run by private owned people. All these are affiliated to Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS).

The scam of blocking of medical seats is widespread in all-India allotment of seats in deemed universities under NEET according to the information given by Justice Manohar. In addition, he also says that the irregularities are prevailing more in private medical colleges of the state of Karnataka that are affiliated to RGUHS.

The seats in deemed universities of various states are blocked by bright students, who secure higher ranks in the case of all-India allotment. In the final round, these seats are surrendered, which helps the concerned colleges to sell them to ineligible candidates from whom the managements take exorbitant sums of money. 186 cases of this nature are found by the Income Tax department during the three-day raid that they conducted three medical colleges of the state.

In the case of private medical colleges affiliated to RGUHS, the management of the colleges follow a altogether different modus operandi. The merit seats in a particular college are blocked by the bright students and given up at the end, which facilitates the management to give those under management quota seats.

The RGUHS does not approve any other candidate except the merit list provided by Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) as per the law. However, it has come to light that in 2018-19, 211 admissions in the private medical colleges were done outside the list provided by the KEA. The admissions are kept on hold as of now. Similarly in 2016-17, 150 and in 2017-18, 200 admissions were done by the private medical college managements which were against the law.

The justification for admitting students outside the KEA list given by the managements of private medical colleges is that the consensual agreement signed between them and the management allows them to make their own decisions on admissions. However, M G Prabhakar, member of Fee Regulatory Committee says that this is an excuse given by the managements of private medical colleges to make money. The consensual agreement is done only with regards to the structure of the fee and nothing else.

DCM C N Ashwathnarayana said that the case will be analysed in all aspects before the same is handed over to the central agencies for investigation.