SC quashes orders barring med colleges from admitting students

The Supreme Court today quashed the Centre's decisions barring two medical colleges from admitting students for MBBS course in the 2017-18 academic session.
The apex court's judgements came up in matters relating to the medical colleges, which were denied the nod to admit students, based in Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
In the case pertaining to a college in Andhra Pradesh, the apex court said the approach of the statutory authorities was "bordering on abdication of their statutory duty".
Similarly, in its verdict in the matter relating to the college in Chhattisgarh, a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra observed that the order passed by the competent authority barring the institute from admitting students was "cryptic, if not perverse".

The bench, which also comprised Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, directed the authorities to permit these two colleges to admit students for the MBBS course in the academic session 2017-18.
It directed the authorities to permit them to take part in the current year's counselling process which is still in progress.

In the Andhra Pradesh matter, the bench said the hearing committee and the competent authority of the Centre have shown complete disregard to the fact that infrastructure and academic requirements were fully in place there.
"We are at a loss to discern as to what weighed with the Hearing Committee and Competent Authority of the Central Government to prohibit the petitioners' college from admitting students in the MBBS course for the academic session 2017-18. No tangible reason whatsoever has been assigned by the said authorities in that regard, leave alone any reason," the bench said.

"We have no hesitation in observing that the approach of the statutory authorities is bordering on abdication of their statutory duty and is against the letter and spirit of the direction given by this court on the earlier occasion to reconsider the case of the petitioners' college afresh on the basis of material available on record," it said.
"We, accordingly, quash and set aside the impugned decision to the extent it bars the petitioners to admit upto 150 students for the academic session 2017-18," the court added.
The bench also said the cut-off date for completing admissions in these colleges would be extended till September 5 and the Centre shall make available students willing to take admission in these institutes through central counselling as per merit.

Both the colleges had approached the apex court against the orders of the competent authority which had reiterated its earlier decision of debarring them from admitting students for the academic session and authorising the Medical Council of India to encash the bank guarantee.