Pay Rs 2 crore or face consequences: SC to Sardar Rajas Medical College

Odisha: The management of Sardar Rajas Medical College and Hospital has been issued an ultimatum by the Supreme Court to deposit Rs 2 crore by June 25 (in the court). Failing which, it may have to face dire consequence of a non-bailable warrant (NBW).

TOI reported Pratap Venugopal, counsel for some of the affected students who appeared in the court saying that "A bench of justices Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh asked the Tamil Nadu-based Selvam Educational and Charitable Trust, which owns the college, to deposit bank guarantee of the amount within the deadline or face NBW."

Pioneer reported counsel Jitendra Mohapatra said, "The matter was posted for today for a specific reason. On April 19, the Division Bench had directed the Selvam Education Trust to deposit Rs 2 crore within four weeks. They were supposed to deposit but for various reasons known to them they could not deposit it. They filed an application for modification and recall which was strongly rejected by the court and directed the trust to deposit the amount on or before June 25, failing which an NBW will be issued. The matter was subsequently adjourned,"

The case dates back to a landmark decision taken by the Supreme Court in April this year, in which it noted that students who get admission in medical colleges, only to be left in lurch if the college is not granted an MCI approval, should be monetarily compensated.

Read Also : SC: Monetary compensation to students if MCI fails college

Two batches of the Sardar Rajas Medical College and Hospital, set up by Tamil Nadu-based Selvam Education and Charitable Trust were witness to the unfortunate turn of events; after their college failed to gain MCI recognition this academic year. Though the 124 students admitted in the college were to be shifted to three private medical colleges in the state; however, what unfolded ahead was protests from the students (of private medical colleges).

Following on this case, Selvam Trust has been ordered to deposit Rs 2 crore in the court registry with a motive to compensate the 124 students on April 19. It was to deposit the amount with the SC registry in a two weeks time.

However, the counsel of the Trust filed an application in the court seeking exemption from the deposit order. The court did not budge on its order, and refused any modification.

The 124 students, who suffered at the hands of the MCI decision on the college, belonged to two batches (2013-14 and 2014-15). They were adjusted in the private medical colleges including, Hi-Tech Medical College, Institute of Medical Sciences and Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences.

The students, on their part had to face alleged discrimination, and in addition, fear of losing an academic year because of the transfer in new institutions.