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Supreme Court ticks off medical colleges for excess admissions

J. Venkatesan

Three unaided private colleges in Madhya Pradesh asked to file affidavits

50:50 ratio should be followed in admissions on the basis of CETs held by colleges and State
We will issue contempt notice if we find that May 27 order has been violated: CJI

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday made it clear that unaided private medical/dental colleges could not admit students in excess of 50 per cent of the seats through the common entrance test conducted by them and thus take away the seats meant for admissions through the CET held by the State.

A Bench, consisting of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justices P. Sathasivam and J.M. Panchal, giving a stern warning to three colleges which admitted students in excess of the 50 per cent reserved for them, asked them to file an affidavit explaining whether they had violated the court order or not and how many seats they had filled through the CET conducted by them.

The Bench was hearing a batch of appeals against a Madhya Pradesh High Court order. A vacation Bench of the Supreme Court on May 27 directed the private unaided medical and dental colleges to follow the 50:50 ratio in admitting students who had taken the CETs conducted by the institutions and the State.

When the matter was taken up on Wednesday, the Madhya Pradesh government and selected candidates alleged that the Modern Dental College and Research Centre, Indore; the R.D. Gardi Medical College, Ujjain; and the People’s College of Dental Science and Research Centre, Bhopal, had taken their own students without admitting those selected through the State CET.

Appearing for the State, senior counsel Ravi Shankar Prasad said it was a clear case of contempt, as the colleges had violated the court order.

However, senior counsel Abhishek Singhvi, Rajeev Dhavan and Rohinton Nariman, appearing for the colleges, said whatever admissions were made took place the May 27 order. A visibly annoyed Chief Justice told counsel: “It is apparent that you [colleges] have admitted in excess of 50 per cent. The order passed by this court had been violated. In that case, you will have to face the consequences. You have no right to admit a single student more than 50 per cent, and we will not allow such admissions. We know all these tricks. We come across such cases every year. It is contempt, and we will issue contempt notice if we find that the order had been violated.”

Further hearing has been posted for July 16.

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