Jaipur: The Supreme Court has imposed a fine of Rs 10 crore each on 10 private dental colleges in Rajasthan for violating NEET admission norms and indulging in irregularities during admissions to dental courses in the 2016-17 academic year.

A bench comprising Justices Vijay Bishnoi and J K Maheshwari held that the rules governing admissions were “blatantly violated” when the Rajasthan government reduced the NEET percentile by 10 per cent and the minimum qualifying percentile for dental courses by five per cent without obtaining approval from the Dental Council of India and the Central government.

The court noted that the private colleges admitted additional students based on this unauthorised relaxation, which was below the prescribed eligibility criteria, and said such violations warranted stringent penalties.

Calling the penalty a warning for the future, the bench said the consequences would be severe if admission rules were breached again.

At the same time, the apex court granted relief to 59 students admitted under the relaxed norms, invoking its special powers and deciding not to take any action against them. However, it advised the students to be prepared to render public service during emergencies such as natural disasters or disease outbreaks if called upon.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on the Rajasthan government for failing to follow statutory norms. It directed that the penalty amounts be paid to the Rajasthan State Legal Services Authority within eight weeks for distribution to charitable institutions, including old age homes and orphanages.