India Supreme Court orders expulsion of 180 Kerala medicos

Source – gulfnews.com

Thiruvananthapuram: The ruling and opposition fronts in Kerala suffered a serious embarrassment on Thursday, when the Supreme Court of India ordered expulsion of 180 medical students from two medical colleges in the state.
The decision came while considering a petition filed by the Medical Council of India against their admissions. The students belong to the Anjarakandi Medical College in Kannur and the Karuna Medical College in Palakkad district.

The Left Democratic Front government was attempting to regularise the admission of these students who were allegedly given admission in violation of Medical Council of India norms. There had also been bribery allegations regarding the admissions.
In a last-ditch effort, the state government on Wednesday passed an ordinance regularising the admission of the students, and requested the apex court to postpone considering the petition of the MCI in the backdrop of the ordinance.
However, the apex court turned down that plea and instead ordered that the 150 students of the Anjarakandi Medical College and 30 of Karuna Medical College admitted in 2016-17 be expelled.

The apex court ruling is considered an embarrassment to the opposition United Democratic Front, too, since it backed the ruling front in taking the decision to regularise the students. While admitting that the managements may have erred in admitting them, Congress leader and opposition chief, Ramesh Chennithala had argued that the students’ future should be considered and they be regularised.

A two-judge bench of the apex court said the state government would attract strong action if it allowed them to attend the classes or take examinations.

When the matter was discussed in the state assembly, only V.T. Balram of the Congress raised an objection on regularising the students.

On Thursday, when the apex court verdict came, former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, V.M. Sudheeran said the verdict was a reprimand for both the government and the opposition.