The Supreme Court on December 6 directed a private medical college in Uttarakhand to hand over its land, building and all assets to the state government after its students raised issues of lack of infrastructure and teaching faculty there.



A bench headed by Justice R F Nariman passed the order while hearing a petition filed by a group of students, who were admitted to the first year MBBS course in the college. The students have moved the apex court saying as there was lack of infrastructure and faculty, they should be transferred to any other medical college in the state.

Deputy advocate general of Uttarakhand Jatinder Kumar Sethi told the bench that the state would be willing to take over the college along with its entire infrastructure and assets, both movable and immovable, so that it could meet the norms of Medical Council of India and affiliate with Dehradun's Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Uttarakhand Medical University.

"We direct the college to hand over the land, building and all assets, as stated hereinabove, to the state government forthwith to be completed latest by tomorrow, that is, December 7, 2018," the bench said. "This is only to allay an apprehension raised by Sethi that the management of college should not be given any time to deal with the assets and/or infrastructure, as it exists, as of today," the court said.

It made clear that if the university affiliates the institution and Medical Council of India grants requisite permission, the students can sit for first year examination of MBBS course to be conducted by the university. "In pursuance of our order for handing over possession today itself, the Director General of Police, Dehradun, is directed to seal the aforesaid premises forthwith. We make it clear that any litigation qua this college, that may arise in future, can only be made before this court and no other," the court said. The bench has posted the matter for further hearing on December 13.