SC bench differs on fate of 634 medical students

A division bench of the Supreme Court has differed over the fate of 634 students, accused of adopting unfair means in getting admissions to medical colleges of Madhya Pradesh.

The matter has been referred to the Chief Justice of India for setting up a larger bench as one judge favoured continuance of their studies with mandatory requirement for them to serve for 5 years in Army while the other asked them to take fresh entrance test.

The medicos had challenged two verdicts delivered in 2014 by the Madhya Pradesh High Court dismissing their pleas against cancellation of their results in the entrance examinations, held from 2008 to 2013, by the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB), also known as ‘Vypam’.

The Vypam scam is also the subject matter of the apex court-mandated CBI probe.
In its inquiry, the examination board had concluded that the exam process was “tampered with” and these 634 medicos were the beneficiaries of a “manipulated examination process”.

“It would serve the larger public interests, by making the appellants serve the nation for a period of 5 years as and when they become qualified doctors, without any regular salary and attendant benefits of service under the state, nor any claim for absorption into the service of the state subject of course to the payment of some allowance (either in cash or kind) for their survival,” Justice Chelameswar said.