Pondicherry Institute of Medicine Sciences fined Rs 20 lakh for violating MCI guidelines

PONDICHERRY: The Madras High Court imposed a Rs 20 lakh fine on Pondicherry Institute of Medicine Sciences (PIMS) for admitting students without following the guidelines of the Medical Council of India (MCI) and directed them to surrender medical seats for the academic year 2025-26 and 2026-27.

Justice M Dhandapani directed the college to deposit the fine amount to the account of the Spastics Society of Tamil Nadu and Adyar Cancer Institute and directed them to surrender 13 seats each for the subsequent academic year.

Pondicherry Institute of Medicine Sciences moved the petition seeking to quash the order to discharge 26 students who were admitted to the MBBS course in 2017-18 as the guidelines were not followed.

The petitioner college submitted that the students had completed the course and some of them were pursuing higher studies and others were working. If they were discharged at this stage, the knowledge acquired by them would go to waste.

The MCI submitted that it is decided to exempt the discharge of the students and impose a penalty against the college under the Maintenance of Standards of Medical Education Regulation, 2023. After the submissions, the judge imposed a fine on the college and directed it to surrender the seats and dispose of the petition.