In a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court of India has ruled that at least 95 post-graduate medical students, who gained admission through irregularities in Puducherry's private medical colleges, must complete three months of mandatory rural service to receive their degrees. The court also ordered significant financial compensation for the meritorious candidates who were unfairly deprived of their seats.
The Core of the Controversy
The case pertains to the 2017-18 academic session, when six private medical colleges in the Union Territory of Puducherry were found to have violated the inter-se merit list during admissions. This malpractice directly led to deserving students losing their rightful seats to less meritorious candidates. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi delivered the decisive judgment, holding the colleges squarely responsible for the situation.
The court stated there can be no doubt that the private medical colleges are responsible for the situation, which led to the deprivation, for at least one year, of admission to the meritorious students. This clear indictment underscores the gravity of the admission scam.
Compensation for the Wronged and a Path for Degrees
While 95 meritorious students were affected, only 18 pursued the legal battle to the Supreme Court. These petitioners have been granted substantial relief. The court has directed that each of these 18 students shall receive a compensation of ₹10 lakh, plus interest accrued since 2017. With interest, the total payout is estimated to exceed ₹15 lakh for each student.
The Supreme Court has laid out a specific mechanism for the disbursement. The registry of the top court is to transfer the entire compensation amount, with interest, to the Registrar-General of the Madras High Court. The Chief Justice of the High Court will then appoint a judicial officer to verify individual claims and ensure the amount is distributed within four weeks.
For the remaining affected students who did not approach the Supreme Court, the door for justice remains open. They shall be eligible to claim similar compensation if they approach the appropriate court and get orders in their favour.
A Conditional Reprieve for the Irregularly Admitted Students
Recognizing that the students who benefitted from the irregularities have now completed their courses, the court took a pragmatic view on awarding their degrees. The judges noted that withholding their degrees would serve no public interest at this stage.
However, this reprieve comes with a significant condition aimed at serving the public good. The court declared that all these 95 students shall be entitled to their respective degrees only after they serve three months of pro bono rural medical service. This service must be performed without charging any honorarium or wages from the Union Territory of Puducherry.
This ruling creates a unique precedent, linking the regularization of irregular admissions to mandatory community service, thereby attempting to balance corrective justice with societal benefit.
Broader Implications and Conclusion
This judgment sends a strong message to private educational institutions across India regarding the sanctity of merit-based admissions. It establishes that violations will not only lead to financial penalties for the institutions but can also impose rehabilitative obligations on the beneficiaries of such malpractices.
The case highlights the long legal battle faced by students wronged by corrupt admission processes and sets a benchmark for compensation in such matters. By mandating rural service, the Supreme Court has ingeniously turned a case of private wrongdoing into an opportunity to address the critical shortage of medical professionals in India's rural areas, if only for a short period.
The focus now shifts to the implementation of the court's orders—the swift disbursement of compensation and the organization of the mandated rural service—which will be closely watched as a test of the verdict's real-world impact.
