More than 100 first year students of a new private medical college in Kancheepuram district, which was subsequently debarred by the Health ministry from making admissions, have moved the Madras High court seeking a direction to transfer them to any other medical college.

Justice SS Sundar, before whom the petition from SU Archana and 102 others came up last week, has issued notice to the authorities concerned returnable in two weeks. The plea sought a direction from the court to transfer them from Ponnaiyah Ramajayam Institute of Medical Sciences (PRIMS), which has become defunct, to other medical colleges.

According to counsel for the students, the medical college was started from the 2016-17 academic year after obtaining approval from the state and central governments and the Medical Council of India (MCI). The students were admitted in the first year MBBS course during 2016-17 under the government and management quota after passing the NEET.

However, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare debarred the college from making admissions for 2017-18 and 2018-19 as it had failed to rectify the 'deficiencies' pointed out by the MCI. The Indian Bank in Thanjavur, to which the college management reportedly owed Rs 392 crore, was taking steps to auction its properties, both movable and immovable.

Since the college management was under severe financial constraint, it could not pay salary to the teaching and non-teaching staff for the past six months and they had left the college. The hospital attached to the college was also closed down. Petitioner students were left in the lurch and their future was bleak. Hence, the present plea for a direction to the state government to admit the students in other medical colleges as per an undertaking given by it (government) while obtaining permission from the centre, the counsel contended.