KANNUR: In a last-ditch attempt to make their arguments heard, the students of Kannur Medical College and their parents are planning to move the Supreme Court, which had on Thursday stayed the state government’s ordinance to regularise their admissions. The students will demand that they should not be made scapegoats for the management’s mistakes, and urge the apex court to hear their side of the arguments as well.A petition will be filed within two days, said Mohanan Kottur, who leads the collective of the students and parents who had been caught in the controversy.
One-hundred-and-fifty students, who got admission to the 2016-17 MBBS batch, had earned their deserved seats in the self-financing merit quota, said Kottur, adding that they had presented their certificates and relevant documents at the right time when and where needed.
The management had charged `10 lakh as fee for the first year and a special fee of `1.65 lakh. The capitation fee was varied as they charged different sums from different students. Though classes had started in September 2016, the admissions were cancelled citing reasons that the management had failed to present the proper documents of the students, said Kottur.
At that time, 13 students had left the course. And the competent authority had found that the documents of 19 students who had gained admission through the management quota were incomplete. A High Court order had allowed the continuation of studies of the students, including these 19. But, as the controversy flared up, the Medical Council of India had denied the registration of these students. Though both the management and students had approached the HC, the verdict was not in their favour. A similar fate awaited at the SC too.
Even as the situation went from bad to worse, the management had not yet clarified its stand, said Kottur.
Even as doors are being shut around them, the students are hopeful that their last-ditch effort to continue studies will be heard by the SC so that their futures aren’t ruined.