New Delhi, May 19: Students shifted from the now-defunct Sardar Rajas Medical College and Hospital (SRMCH) in Odisha to other private medical colleges have received a major setback from the Supreme Court. The apex court has ruled that they are not entitled to pay subsidised fees applicable to government medical colleges and must clear dues as per the fee structure fixed by SRMCH.

A bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta directed that the funds secured from Selvam Educational and Charitable Trust, which managed SRMCH, be transferred to the three private medical colleges where the students were accommodated after the institution shut down.

The amount includes a ₹10 crore bank guarantee deposited with the Medical Council of India/National Medical Commission (NMC), along with ₹2 crore deposited before the Supreme Court and accrued interest.

The court further directed the private medical colleges to submit detailed records to the NMC regarding the actual fees payable by the students and the outstanding dues. The NMC has been asked to devise a mechanism for recovery of fees and settlement of payments to the colleges.

The Supreme Court also observed that students would receive their final academic certificates only after the fee dispute is resolved.

Rejecting the students’ plea for government-subsidised fee benefits, the court stated that granting such relief would amount to giving them an “undue advantage.” The bench noted that although the students were not responsible for the closure of SRMCH, they had originally enrolled in a private medical college where the fee structure was significantly higher than that of government institutions.