Cuttack, Nov. 18: Orissa High Court today directed the state government to accommodate the students of Sardar Rajas Medical College at Jaring in Kalahandi district in both government and private colleges.

The court set a two-week deadline for completion of the transfer process, bringing an end to the students' uncertain future following the Medical Council of India's refusal to grant recognition to the institution for 2015-16. Earlier, the college, with 100 MBBS seats, had enrolled 124 students in two batches for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 sessions with the council's permission.

The division bench of Justice Indrajit Mahanty and Justice D.P. Choudhury directed the state government to give admission to students, who had been admitted under the government quota, in two government colleges - VSS Medical College in Burla and MKCG Medical College in Berhampur. The students, who had been admitted under the management and NRI quota, were to be shifted to three recognised private medical colleges.

Students, selected through the Central Board of Secondary Education-conducted National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for 2013-14 and the All India Pre-Medical Test for 2014-15, were given admission under the government quota. While 15 per cent of the students were admitted under the management quota or the NRI ones (through donation), the rest was admitted under the government quota.

In its order, the court, however, did not specify the number of students to be admitted in each of the two government medical colleges. "The court also left it to the state government to decide on the private medical colleges to relocate the students," said the council's counsel Rajani Chandra Mohanty.

The three recognised private medical colleges in the state include the Hi-tech Medical College, Kalinga Institute of Medical Science and the Institute of Medical Science and Sum Hospital. "The court has fixed December 9 for submission of compliance report," said petitioner counsel Pitambar Acharya.

In July, the students filed a batch of petitions after the council had refused to grant recognition to the Sardar Rajas Medical College Hospital and Research Centre due to substantial deficiencies noted in the course of inspection.

The Selvam Educational and Charitable Trust had set up the institution in the PPP mode through the Western Odisha Development Council. The government had also provided land free of cost as well as substantial money for it.

On September 30, the state cabinet had directed the Western Odisha Development Council to take over the medical college or find another suitable private partner to revive the institution in the public-private partnership mode. Subsequently, the development council had rescinded it's memorandum of understanding with the Selvam Charitable Trust.