Faulty admission: Sri Venkateshwara Medical College to pay damages to 4 students

 Upholding the order of a single judge that SVMC, in violation of the MCI regulations had unilaterally admitted four students, the first bench comprising Chief Justice AP Sahi and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said, “The MCI has nowhere stated that the college is free to admit any student bereft of the procedure as already prescribed. The institutions have to abide by the allocations made and they cannot be permitted to create a situation to foster litigation as a parallel method of seeking permission to admit students beyond the directives of the Apex Court and the regulations.”

 SVMC had moved the appeal disputing the correctness of the single judge on the ground that the four seats remained vacant even after the last stage of counselling conducted by the Centralised Admission Committee (Centac) of Puducherry government. The single judge had also directed SVMC to offer a compensation of Rs 1 lakh each to the four students.

 However, the first bench while dismissing the appeal said: “The college knew that these four students have not been admitted through the procedure prescribed and therefore the college is squarely to blame for kindling this fond hope or expectation in the four students for admission in the institution.”

 “The damage caused therefore is on account of the action of SVMC. Hence, there is neither any equity nor any law so as to justify any protection to SVMC. To the contrary, SVMC must compensate the students,” the bench added while directing the students to approach MCI and Centac for redressal since they have spent almost two years in pursuing a course.