SC allows K'taka college to admit MBBS students

The Supreme Court has allowed Koppal Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) to admit 150 students for the 2018-19 academic year after the Karnataka government gave an undertaking over the removal of deficiencies pointed by the central government.

A bench of Justices S A Bobde and L Nageswara Rao, however, clarified that candidates must be selected from National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test pool of qualified candidates.

“We, accordingly, direct that KIMS shall be permitted to admit students for the current academic year 2018-19, subject to full compliance of the requirements,” the bench said.

The state government, led by Additional Advocate General Devadatt Kamat and standing counsel V N Raghupathy, challenged the Karnataka High Court's judgement of June 25.

The high court declined permission to KIMS after the central government pointed out deficiencies in the number of teaching faculty, non-teaching and para-medical staff, non-availability of the required number of beds etc.

The state government contended that KIMS was established for the upliftment of the backward region. The counsel submitted that the additional chief secretary would undertake to remove all deficiencies.

Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh, representing the Union government, did not oppose the plea, as the apex court had earlier granted permission to government medical colleges in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.

“There is no dispute that the present petitioner-college is a similar government medical college. We, therefore, see no reason as to why similar relief should not be granted to it in view of the affidavit of undertaking filed by the additional chief secretary to the government of Karnataka and the affidavit of compliance filed by the same officer,” the bench said.