SC orders probe quotas in Goa medical colleges

NEW DELHI, JANUARY 18: The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered an inquiry into veracity of the statements made before it by former Goa chief ...

NEW DELHI, JANUARY 18: The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered an inquiry into veracity of the statements made before it by former Goa chief minister Wilfred D8217;Souza and some officials regarding alleged undertakings on personal security sought by Goa Medical College while admitting all India quota students.

A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice A S Anand, Justice S Rajendra Babu and Justice R C Lahoti ordered the probe to be conducted by Registrar General of the Supreme Court L C Bhadoo as high officials and a former chief minister were involved in making quot;prima faciequot; contradictory statements, and sought a report from him within four months.

The court was hearing a writ petition filed by a student in which, among other things, it was alleged that the Goa Medical College sought an undertaking to the effect that the students would be responsible for their personal safety during their stay in the college in the face of violent incidents pertaining to admission of all India quota candidates.

The bench said it was unfortunate that such an undertaking was sought in the first place and added to compound the problem, the statements on the issue given by D8217;Souza, the then health secretary of the State, the then dean of the college and the present dean of the college were prima facie contradictory.

quot;The affidavits filed in the court prima facie conceal more than what they reveal. It appears that one or the other party is concealing the truth. It is a serious matter that affidavits perpetrated falsehood before the apex court,quot; the bench said.

Solicitor General Harish Salve took exception to undertakings being sought from the students regarding their personal safety and said if this quot;locals onlyquot; hysteria was not dealt with firmly by the court, the whole federal structure of the country would be in jeopardy.

quot;Seeking such an undertaking is per se contempt of the court,quot; Salve said pointing out that the court had directed that states should not insist on local students while admitting students under the 15 per cent all India quota.

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Justice Anand, referring to the affidavits filed by the former chief minister and other officials, observed that quot;one who has indulged in falsehood in the apex court should get it and the message should go down clearly that such things would not be tolerated at all.quot;

quot;The averments in the affidavits cannot be prima facie reconciled. Whichever party has indulged in perpetrating falsehood in the apex court deserves to be dealt with firmly,quot; the bench said.