CIC Advices National Medical Commission To Upload Medical College Assessment Data On Its Website

The Central Information Commission on Tuesday advised National Medical Commission (NMC) to upload Medical College assessment reports for the current academic year on its website.

As the Medical Council of India (MCI) was scrapped in September 2020, its website was replaced by the NMC website in the new domain and with this the data and other documents uploaded by MCI including the previous academic year's college assessment reports (infrastructure and related assessments according to Minimum standard requirements), were removed. Since the NMC is not uploading medical college assessment reports for the current academic year on its website, the complainant sought information in this regard.

The information was apparently denied stating that the information is sought is very voluminous and scattered.

Dissatisfied, a complaint was filed before the CIC seeking information in this regard. 

The Complainant raised the argument that NMC is a public authority, which inspects medical colleges during every academic year and checks whether these colleges are having sufficient infrastructure, number of teaching faculties, maintenance of equipment etc against the "Minimum Standard Requirements" Regulations. Based on these reports, approval or recognition for the medicinal college is given for the respective academic year. Hence, these assessment reports are public documents under Section 4(1)(b) of the Right To Information Act and it is to be disclosed by the CPIO of NMC. 

The Complainant further argued that these reports have huge public importance and disclosing these reports is the only way through which, the standards of each medical college hospital, additional facilities done by the medical college etc could be known by the aspiring medical students, who are looking for admission into medical courses.

Stating that CIC has already decided that medical colleges' assessment reports are public documents and ordered MCI to disclose them, the complainant argued that since the NMC is the legal successor of MCI, the order issued by the Central Information Commission to MCI for disclosing assessment reports are binding on NMC's CPIO.

Since the complainant preferred the complaint under Section 18 of the RTI Act instead of filing an appeal, the Commission said it is unable to adjudicate the adequacy of information to be disclosed as the limited point to be adjudicated in the complaint is whether the information was denied intentionally.

"The Commission has gone through the case records and on the basis of proceedings during hearing observes that point wise reply was provided to the complainant by the CPIO. The Commission therefore does not find any malafide intention on the part of then CPIO", the Commission observed. 

Further, it advised the NMC to upload medical college assessment reports for the current academic years on its website.

Case Title: Dr Mohamed Khader Meeran A S v. Public Information Officer

Click Here To Read/Download The Order