Supreme Court imposes fine of Rs.5 crore on KIMS

Odisha Channel Bureau Bhubaneswar: Observing that medical colleges in the country were in a rotten state, the Supreme Court has imposed a fine of Rs.5 crore on Bhubaneswar-based on Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) for increasing the number of seats from 100 to 150 in an academic year.“Costs of Rs.5 crores are imposed on Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) for playing with the future of its students and the mess that it has created for them.The amount will be deposited by KIMS in the Registry of this Court within six weeks from today.“The amount of Rs 5 crores so deposited towards costs shall not be recovered in any manner from any student or adjusted against the fees or provision of facilities for students of any present or subsequent batches,” said a Division Bench of the apex court comprising Justice M.B.Lokur and N.V.Ramana in its order on Friday.The Judges also restrained KIMS from increasing the intake of students from 100 to 150 for the MBBS course for the academic year 2016-17 and 2017-2018.The order came on an appeal filed by Medical Council of India (MCI) challenging the Orissa High Court’s verdict which had permitted KIMS to admit additional 50 students in academic year 2015-16.The bench, however, protected the students who were admitted in the year 2015-16 in the courses run by the medical college administration.“The admission granted to the 50 students pursuant to the order of the High Court dated September 25, 2015 and the provisional permission granted by the central government only on September 28, 2015 shall not be disturbed.”How the students will complete their course of studies without putting undue pressure on them is entirely for MCI, KIMS and other concerned authorities to decide, the Judges said.“This appeal is yet another chapter in the sordid saga of admissions to medical colleges.Undoubtedly, there is something rotten in the state of medical colleges,” the Judges observed in their order.