HC wonders how a 16-year-old can be allowed to write NEET

HC wonders how a 16-year-old can be allowed to write NEET

Legal Correspondent

CHENNAI, SEPTEMBER 07, 2021 01:06 IST

If a minor has good knowledge about politics, can he/she be allowed to vote? asks judge

If a 16-year-old has good knowledge about politics, can we allow him/her to vote in elections? the Madras High Court asked on Monday while hearing the plea of a 16-year-old girl to allow her to write National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) though the minimum age required to appear for the medical entrance test was 17 years.

Justices Pushpa Sathyanarayana and Krishnan Ramasamy raised the query during the hearing of a writ appeal preferred by National Testing Agency (NTA) against a single judge’s order to allow the 16-year-old to write NEET and one more writ petition filed by the student SP. Shree Harini of Kumbakonam seeking permission to write the test.

Senior counsel G. Rajagopalan, representing the NTA, contended that the single judge had erred in allowing the 16-year-old girl to write the test when the regulations clearly state that the candidates must have completed 17 years of age as on December 31, 2020. He said the courts should not interfere in such decisions taken by the National Medical Commission (NMC).

On her part, NMC counsel Subharanjini stated that there was a difference between the intelligence of a student and his/her maturity. Stating that certain amount of physical as well as mental maturity was required to undergo medical courses, the counsel said the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of a student could not be considered a measure of his/her maturity.

Adding a rider that she might sound a little rude, the counsel said: “We do not want somebody giggling in the anatomy room after joining medical college.” While recognising that the writ petitioner might be a brilliant student with a very high IQ, the counsel said, still, she could not be allowed to write NEET in violation of the regulations.

On his part, senior counsel AR.L. Sundaresan, representing the student, said he was not challenging the age criteria fixed by NMC but only insisting upon carving out an exception for an academically brilliant student. Pointing out that Central Board of Secondary Education had permitted her to write Plus Two examinations, he said, she could not be forced to waste one year to write NEET.

He urged the court to permit the student to write NEET scheduled on Sunday and then take a decision on allowing her to join MBBS or not. However, warning that a possible poor performance in NEET might also demoralise the student and affect her psychologically, the judges decided to pass orders on the writ appeal as well as the writ petition on Tuesday.

Inter-dept disputes should be resolved by govt, not courts: SC

Inter-dept disputes should be resolved by govt, not courts: SC

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:  08.09.2021

As disputes between government departments always end up in courts, the Supreme Court on Tuesday raised question on why the Centre is reluctant to intervene to sort them out instead of depending on court to adjudicate the dispute.

While hearing a legal battle between Registrar General & Census Commission and LIC, a bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M M Sundresh said that some kind of mechanism should be put in place by the government to resolve such disputes and court should not be burdened with such cases.

The court said that there are many such cases being filed in courts including disputes between public sector units and tax department. “I have not found government taking a stand to sort out such problems and they always want court to sort out the problems,” the SC said. The SC was hearing an appeal filed by Census Commission challenging Gujarat HC verdict holding that services of LIC employee could not be asked for census work by the commission.

The HC had quashed the order passed by commission requisitioning the staff of LIC and held that the corporation was not a local authority within Census Act.

Free darshan at Tirumala resumes from Sept 9

Free darshan at Tirumala resumes from Sept 9

Tirupati:  08.09.2021

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams has decided to resume free darshan at Tirumala temple from September 9. The temple body had suspended free darshan and pedestrian darshan at the hill temple in April following the outbreak of the second wave of Covid-19, while continuing to facilitate paid darshan at the hill temple.

After assuming charge as TTD chairman for a second consecutive term, YV Subba Reddy had announced that the temple body would resume free darshan for common devotees soon. Accordingly, the temple administration on Tuesday announced that the slotted sarva darshan (free darshan) will be resumed at the temple from September 9 with some restrictions.

To start with, only 2,000 devotees would be allowed in a day under the slotted sarva darshan system. TNN

BPharm grad fakes being a gynaec, held

BPharm grad fakes being a gynaec, held

Hyderabad:08.09.2021

A woman who tried to dupe a hospital posing as a gynaecologist has been arrested along with her associate. The accused Moulika of Papi Reddy Colony in Lingampally is a BPharmacy graduate.

She became close to businessman T Venkata Ganapati Surya Satyanarayana Murthy from the same colony who told her to pose as a doctor and gave her fake documents. Using the fake documents, Moulika set up Sri Sai Clinic in Papi Reddy Colon, the police said.

Four days ago, Moulika joined as a gynaecologist in a hospital at RC Puram and management asked her for original certificates of her medical degrees and later, management filed a complaint with the police. TNN

Supreme Court Not Meant Only For People Living Near Delhi; Madras HC Judge Justice Kirubakaran Urges Centre To Amend Constitution To Set Up Regional Benches

Supreme Court Not Meant Only For People Living Near Delhi; Madras HC Judge Justice Kirubakaran Urges Centre To Amend Constitution To Set Up Regional Benches: “ Location of Courts and Tribunals in New Delhi alone,without having Regional Benches, causes

Medical Professionals Cannot Be Held Negligent Merely Because The Treatment Is Not Successful Or Patient Dies During Surgery:

Medical Professionals Cannot Be Held Negligent Merely Because The Treatment Is Not Successful Or Patient Dies During Surgery:

 Supreme Court

LIVELAW NEWS NETWORK

7 Sep 2021 7:58 PM

The Supreme Court observed that a medical professional cannot be held negligent merely because the treatment is not successful or the patient dies during surgery.

To indicate negligence, the bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and AS Bopanna said, there should be material available on record or else appropriate medical evidence should be tendered.

The court said that the principle of res ipsa loquitur (mere occurrence of some types of accident is sufficient to imply negligence) can be applied when the negligence alleged is so glaring and not based on perception.

In this case, the claimant's wife, who was admitted in the Hospital after diagnosed with kidney stone, died after a surgery performed on her. Alleging medical negligence, the approached the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. The NCDRC held the Doctor and Hospital guilty of medical negligence and has directed payment of Rupees Seventeen Lakhs only with interest as compensation.

In appeal, the bench noted that in this case, apart from the allegations made by the claimants before the NCDRC, there is no other medical evidence tendered by the complainant to indicate negligence on the part of the doctors.

"It is clear that in every case where the treatment is not successful or the patient dies during surgery, it cannot be automatically assumed that the medical Page 13 of 27 professional was negligent. To indicate negligence there should be material available on record or else appropriate medical evidence should be tendered. The negligence alleged should be so glaring, in which event the principle of res ipsa loquitur could be made applicable and not based on perception. In the instant case, apart from the allegations made by the claimants before the NCDRC both in the complaint and in the affidavit filed in the proceedings, there is no other medical evidence tendered by the complainant to indicate negligence on the part of the doctors who, on their own behalf had explained their position relating to the medical process in their affidavit to explain there was no negligence.", the court said.

The Court also observed that enquiry that was conducted by the District Magistrate cannot be considered as medical evidence to hold negligence on the part of the doctors or the hospital in the matter of conducting the second surgery and the condition of the patient. Allowing the appeal, the court observed:

23. In the above circumstance when there was no medical evidence available before the NCDRC on the crucial medical aspect which required such opinion, the mere reliance placed on the magisterial enquiry would not be sufficient. Though the opinion of the civil surgeon who was a member of the committee is contained in the report, the same cannot be taken as conclusive since such report does not have the statutory flavour nor was the civil surgeon who had tendered his opinion available for cross­examination or seeking answers by way of interrogatories on the medical aspects. Therefore, if all these aspects are kept in view, the correctness or otherwise of the line of treatment and the decision to conduct the operation and the method followed were all required to be considered in the background of the medical evidence in the particular facts of this case. As indicated, the mere legal principles and the general standard of assessment was not sufficient in a matter of the present nature when the very same patient in the same set up had undergone a successful operation conducted by the same team of doctors. Hence, the conclusion as reached by the NCDRC is not sustainable."

Case: Dr. Harish Kumar Khurana vs. Joginder Singh ; CA 7380 OF 2009

Citation: LL 2021 SC 425

Coram: Justices Hemant Gupta and AS Bopanna

Advocate Christi Jain appeared for the anaesthetist and Advocate Liz Mathew appeared for the hospital.

தாம்பரம் நகராட்சி பகுதியில் சாலைகளில் விதிகளை கடைபிடிக்காமல் வேகத்தடைகள்

தாம்பரம் நகராட்சி பகுதியில் சாலைகளில் விதிகளை கடைபிடிக்காமல் வேகத்தடைகள்

தாம்பரம்  08.09.2021

தாம்பரம் நகராட்சி பகுதியில் சரியான விதிமுறைகளை கடைபிடிக்காமல் அமைக்கப்பட்டுள்ள வேகத்தடைகளால் விபத்துகள் ஏற்படுகின்றன.

வேகத்தை குறைப்பதற்காகவும் விபத்தை தடுப்பதற்காகவும் பயன்படுத்தப்படுகின்ற 'ஸ்பீடு பிரேக்' எனப்படும் வேகத்தடையால் தாம்பரம் சுற்றுப் பகுதிகளில் தினசரி விபத்துகள் ஏற்படுவதுடன், உயிரிழப்புகளும் ஏற்படுகின்றன.

சாலைகளின் எந்த இடங்களில் வேகத்தடைகள் அமைக்கலாம் என்பதை சாலை பாதுகாப்பு குழு ஆய்வு செய்யும். இந்த குழுவின் அறிக்கைப்படி மாவட்ட நிர்வாகமும், நெடுஞ்சாலைத் துறையும் பரிசீலனை செய்து வேகத்தடை அமைக்க ஒப்புதல் வழங்கும். பின்னர், விதிமுறைப்படி வேகத்தடையும், அது குறித்த எச்சரிக்கை பலகைகளும் அந்த இடங்களில் வைக்கப்படும்; இதுதான் நடைமுறை. ஆனால், யாரும் இதன்படி செய்வதில்லை என்ற புகார் எழுந்துள்ளது.

சமீபத்தில் சேலையூரை சேர்ந்த ஹேமகுமார்(30) என்ற இளைஞர் கிழக்கு தாம்பரம், பாரத மாதா சாலையில் அமைக்கப்பட்டுள்ள வேகத்தடையால் தவறி விழுந்து தற்போது உயிருக்கு ஆபத்தான நிலையில் பெரும்பாக்கத்தில் உள்ள தனியார் மருத்துவமனையில் சிகிச்சை பெற்று வருகிறார்.

இதுகுறித்து சமூக ஆர்வலர்கள் கூறும்போது, "பாதுகாப்பு மற்றும் வாகனங்களின் வேக கட்டுப்பாடுக்கு பயன்பட வேண்டிய வேகத்தடைகள் மரண மேடுகளாக மாறுவதற்கு, முறையான உயரத்தில் வேகத்தடைகள் இல்லாததும் அதற்கான எச்சரிக்கை பலகைகளை எங்கேயும் முறையாக வைக்காததுமே முக்கிய காரணங்களாகும்.

வேகத்தடை விதிமுறைகள்

குறைந்தது 40 மீட்டருக்கு முன்பாக வேகத்தடை என்றஎச்சரிக்கை பலகை வைக்கப்பட்டிருக்க வேண்டும். 17 மீட்டர் ஆரம் கொண்டதாகவும், 3.7 மீட்டர் அகலத்துடனும், அதிகபட்சமாக 10 செ.மீ. உயரத்திலும் மட்டுமே வேகத்தடைகள் இருப்பது அவசியமாகும். பிரதிபலிக்கும் வகையிலான பெயின்டை வேகத்தடை மேடுகளின் மீது பூச வேண்டும். 10 மீட்டர் தொலைவுக்குள் இரு வேகத்தடைகளை ஏற்படுத்தக் கூடாது. ஆனால் இந்த விதிகளை உள்ளாட்சி அமைப்புகள், நெடுஞ்சாலை துறையினர் பின் பற்றுவதில்லை என்றனர்.

இதுகுறித்து தாம்பரம் நகராட்சி ஆணையர் இரா.லெட்சுமணன் கூறும்போது, "விபத்து நடந்த பாரத மாதா சாலையில் ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டு, விதிகளை மீறி அமைக்கப்பட்டிருந்தால் உரிய நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும். தாம்பரம் முழுவதும் வேகத் தடைகளின் மீது பிரதிபலிக்கும் வகையிலான பெயின்ட் அடிக்கப்படும். எச்சரிக்கை பலகை வைக்க நடவடிக்கை மேற்கொள்ளப்படும்" என்றார்.