Scores of dental students staged a protest in front of V.S. Dental College for not being allowed to appear for their examinations in March.
Most of the protesters were Non-Resident Indians enrolled for the 2016-2017 academic year. They were allegedly admitted under the NRI quota without having to face the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
The Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences had reportedly told the college, which is run by the Karnataka Rajya Vokkaligara Sangha, that these students would not be allowed to appear for the exams as their admissions were illegal.
The students, who claimed to have paid lakhs of rupees, were demanding a refund if the college would not allow them to pursue the BDS course.
D.M. Bette Gowda, president of Karnataka Rajya Vokkaligara Sangha, said they had found that 24 students were ineligible for the seats. The Sangha is now verifying how they were admitted under the NRI quota without writing the NEET.
Mr. Gowda said that the management of the college had convened an emergency meeting on Saturday to decide the future course of action. "If these students have paid a fee to the Sangha and can produce receipts, we will give them a refund," he said adding that action would be initiated against the office-bearers of the Sangha who had facilitated their admissions.