Delhi High Court rejects plea by parent to recover ₹30 lakh bribe paid to secure AIIMS seat

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday rejected a plea by a woman seeking to recover a ₹30 lakh bribe she had paid to an alleged middleman to secure admission for her daughter in the MBBS course at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)..Justice Jasmeet Singh observed that Courts cannot come to the rescue of people using unscrupulous means to get ahead of the queue.“Court cannot come to the aid of an unlawful object which is forbidden by law… What will happen to the nation if people can get admission into AIIMS by paying money? It is because of people like you that scamsters flourish. You jumped the queue and thought your child is more important than others,” the Court remarked. .The Court further observed that students were studying hours and hours to get admission into medical colleges like AIIMS and that the seats for the MBBS course at the premiere government institution are not for sale..The woman moved the Court against an order passed by the trial court rejecting her suit for recovery of money.She alleged that she paid ₹30 lakhs to a person who claimed to know the Union Health Minister and several top bureaucrats and who said that he could secure admission for her daughter in the MBBS course at AIIMS..After considering the case, Justice Singh held that the agreement between the parties is void ab initio and that the recovery of money in this case, was barred under Section 23 (where either the object or consideration for a contract is unlawful) of the Indian Contract Act, 1972. "In the present case, the appellant is guilty of perpetuating an illegality. It is a known fact that AIIMS is one of the most premiere institutes of medicine in India. The children securing admission spend hours and hours in preparing themselves for the entrance at AIIMS. The seats in the MBBS course at AIIMS are not for sale. The appellant may be gullible but this court cannot come to the assistance of a person who has participated in the illegality as noted above,” the Court recorded in its order.It concluded that there was no infirmity in the trial court’s order and rejected the plea.