New Delhi, Jan. 12: The Supreme Court today ordered that 124 students of Sardar Rajas medical college in Kalahandi, recently de-recognised by the Medical Council of India for irregularities, be accommodated in three private medical colleges instead of government institutes.

The bench of Justice Dipak Misra and Justice N.V. Ramana today passed the directions on a petition filed by counsel Kedarnath Tripathi on behalf of several aggrieved students of the government medical colleges challenging the Orissa High Court order that the Rajas students be accommodated in their institutes.

The government college students said they felt that the move would cause problems for their own studies and put pressure on the existing infrastructure in the institutions.

Upholding their plea, the apex court said: "We are, prima facie, of the view that the 124 students, who were prosecuting their studies in Sardar Rajas Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, should be adjusted in three recognised medical colleges, namely, the Hi-tech Medical College and Hospital, Bhubaneswar, KIMS, Bhubaneswar and the IMS & Sum Hospital.

"We are inclined to think so as that would avoid all kinds of confusion. The students, who are prosecuting their studies in private medical colleges, should prosecute their studies there. In ordinary course of things, the students who were admitted to Sardar Rajas Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, would have continued their studies over there. However, as a peculiar situation has arisen, the issue of adjustment has emanated. The high court has been guided by the factum that the students who are admitted in government quota should go to the government colleges and rest should go to the private colleges," said the apex court.

However, it observed: "As advised at present, we are of the view that the said approach may not be correct as the students were studying in private colleges having obtained permission from the Medical Council of India. A norm has to be followed. At this juncture, to entertain the stand of those students that they can enter the government colleges would likely cause immense disturbance. It is obligatory on the part of the state to see that the said 124 students are allocated to the three private colleges," the apex court said in its order.