A Division Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday stayed the operation of a single judge’s direction to Saveetha Dental College and Hospital at Rajankuppam near here to pay a compensation of ₹2 crore to eight students admitted to the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) course without clearing the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).
Justices Huluvadi G. Ramesh and K. Kalayanasundaram also granted interim stay on the direction to pay the compensation amount within 45 days from the receipt of the single judge’s order failing which the State would attach the college’s properties, sell them through auction and recover the compensation amount.
The interim orders were passed on a writ appeal preferred by the college challenging the directive to pay compensation to the students admitted under Non Resident Indian (NRI) quota during the academic year 2016-17. The college said that efforts taken by it to get approval for the students’ admission did not fructify and therefore it was ready to repay the fees.
However, while disposing of a batch of writ petitions filed by the eight students, the single judge had went a step further and ordered compensation, it said. In a counter affidavit filed on behalf of the college before him, its Registrar V. Thiagarajan had clearly stated that the students under NRI quota were given only provisional admission subject to approval by the DCI.
“The fourth (Saveetha University) and fifth respondent (dental college) had worked tirelessly to protect the future of these students. They did not either fool or cheat the petitioners,” the counter read.
