Title: Supreme Court Orders Uttarakhand College to Release MBBS Students’ Original Documents
In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court has directed a medical college in Uttarakhand to release the original documents of 91 MBBS students. These students had their documents withheld by the institute due to non-payment of fee arrears. The decision comes as a relief to the students who were at risk of being unable to register as medical practitioners or pursue further studies without their essential paperwork.
Background
The students in question had faced a sudden increase in their annual fees at the Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical and Health Sciences College in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The college raised the fees from Rs 4 lakh per annum to a staggering Rs 9.78 lakh for those who had secured admissions under the state quota. Additionally, the fees for students admitted under the All India quota saw a hike from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 13.22 lakh annually. This fee hike was implemented retrospectively, causing financial strain on the students who had already completed their MBBS course and internship.
Supreme Court’s Verdict
A bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, alongside justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, heard arguments from senior lawyer Gaurav Agarwal and advocate Tanvi Dubey representing the affected students. The bench ordered the college to release the original documents upon payment of Rs 7.5 lakh by students who had completed their MBBS course and internship. The students must also provide an undertaking to settle the remaining fee arrears.
The students had challenged the college’s decision to withhold their documents, citing the inability to pursue further studies or practice medicine without the necessary paperwork. Advocate Dubey highlighted the plight of these students, who were left idle at home without the opportunity to participate in NEET-PG counseling or begin their medical practice.
Legal Battle
The issue had been embroiled in a series of litigations over the past few years, with a pending petition at the Nainital High Court challenging the retrospective fee hike. The students contested the college’s demand for approximately Rs 38 lakh in arrears, arguing that the decision was arbitrary and unfairly imposed on them after they had completed their course.
The high court had previously directed the students to pay the entire amount in nine installments, further complicating the situation for the students. The college had issued a notice stating that the internship could not commence until the payments were made, adding to the students’ distress.
College’s Perspective
Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing the college, acknowledged the challenges faced by educational institutions in tracking pending dues from students once their documents were released. He highlighted instances where students had disappeared or issued bounced cheques towards fee arrears, leading to financial difficulties for the college.
The college’s decision to increase fees retrospectively had sparked controversy and legal battles, ultimately culminating in the Supreme Court’s intervention to ensure the release of the students’ original documents.
Conclusion
The Supreme Court’s ruling to compel the Uttarakhand medical college to release the original documents of MBBS students underscores the importance of upholding students’ rights and ensuring access to education without undue financial burden. The decision provides a much-needed reprieve for the affected students, allowing them to pursue their careers in medicine without hindrance. It also serves as a reminder of the need for transparency and fairness in educational institutions’ fee structures to prevent such disputes in the future.