In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court of India has imposed a hefty penalty of Rs 10 crore each on ten private dental colleges in Rajasthan. This unprecedented order comes as a consequence of these institutions admitting students who did not secure the mandatory qualifying marks in the NEET 2016-17 examination.
A Costly Violation of Admission Norms
A bench comprising Justices J K Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi delivered the verdict on Thursday. The court expressed strong disapproval of the colleges' actions, stating they committed a "blatant illegality and wilful violation" of the 2007 regulations governing medical and dental admissions. The colleges admitted students beyond the permitted percentile relaxation, severely diluting educational standards.
The bench directed the colleges to deposit the cumulative Rs 100 crore with the Rajasthan State Legal Services Authority within eight weeks. This money will be placed in fixed deposits, and the interest earned will be utilised for the maintenance and upgrade of social welfare institutions in the state. These include One Stop Centres, Nari Niketans, old-age homes, and childcare institutions.
Conditional Relief for Students
While taking strict action against the erring colleges, the Supreme Court also addressed the plight of the students caught in the middle. Invoking its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, the bench regularised the BDS degrees of the 59 students who were illegally admitted in the 2016-17 batch but have since completed their courses and passed out.
This relief, however, came with a significant condition. The court directed these students to file affidavits in the Rajasthan High Court, committing to provide pro bono (free) services to the state government during calamities, disease outbreaks, or other emergencies whenever called upon. This ensures they contribute back to society.
Systemic Failures and Ongoing Consequences
The judgment did not spare the state government either. The bench noted that the state of Rajasthan acted without legal authority in granting relaxations and failed to promptly inform the colleges about decisions from the central government and the Dental Council of India.
Due to the illegal lowering of admission criteria, several students were found to be still pursuing their BDS degrees even nine years after admission. The bench ordered that these students be discharged from their courses, as the regulations allow a maximum of nine years to complete the five-year program.
To oversee the utilisation of the interest from the Rs 100 crore corpus, the Supreme Court requested the Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court to constitute a five-judge committee, which must include at least one woman judge. This move aims to ensure transparency and effective use of the funds for public welfare.
