SC bars Sardar Rajas students from attending classes till Jan 8

Bhubaneswar: In a major jolt to the 124 medicos of Jaring-based Sardar Rajas medical college in Kalahandi, who were recently relocated in five institutions in the State as per an order of the Orissa High Court, the Supreme Court on Tuesday barred them from attending classes till the next hearing of the case scheduled for January 8.

The apex court asked the students to wait for the next hearing.

“The Supreme Court asked the students of Sardar Rajas medical college who had taken admission during the interim order not to attend classes till January 8,” applicant’s lawyer Ashok Mohapatra said.

“The court has also sought reply from the State government and MCI on ranks of these students,” Mohapatra added.

On December 16 last, the medicos had received a much-needed shot in the arm after the apex court gave the Odisha government permission to go ahead with the admission of these students in two government and three private medical colleges of the State as per the order of the High Court.

Hearing a special leave petition (SLP) filed by students of three government-run medical colleges pleading for a stay on the admission process till the matter is resolved, the apex court had advised the petitioners to appeal in the High Court instead.

Meanwhile, despite the ongoing agitation by students at VIMSAR in Burla and MKCG in Berhampur who protested the admission of Sardar Rajas students in their institutions citing lack of infrastructure and faculty, the State government on December 22 completed the admission process of 124 students in five institutions. Of them, 55 were be relocated in MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur while another 54 were absorbed in Burla-based VIMSAR. The remaining 15 students were given admission in three private medical colleges – Hi Tech Medical College, KIMS and Institute of Medical Sciences and Sum Hospital in Bhubaneswar.

But the matter took a new turn after the Sardar Rajas students were denied entry into VIMSAR for verification of documents and completion of admission process for four consecutive days.

The agitating students were demanding that the State government should wait for the apex court verdict and not to go ahead with the admission process as ordered by the HC. However, they later withdrew their strike and allowed the students to complete the admission process.