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REPORTABLE

 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

  CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION

CIVIL  APPEAL NO. 2454 OF 2012        [ARISING OUT OF S.L.P. (C) NO. 25911 OF 2010]

MOHAMED IBRAHIM AND OTHERS ...   APPELLANT(s)

                     Versus

VINAYAKA MISSION UNIVERSITY AND OTHERS .   RESPONDENT(s)

WITH

CIVIL  APPEAL NO. 2455 OF 2012              [ARISING OUT OF S.L.P. (C) NO. 25914 OF 2010]

VIJAY KUMAR KOLLURI AND OTHERS ...   APPELLANT(s)

                     Versus

VINAYAKA MISSION UNIVERSITY AND OTHERS .   RESPONDENT(s)

WITH

CIVIL  APPEAL NO. 2456 OF 2012              [ARISING OUT OF S.L.P. (C) NO. 26236 OF 2010]

VINAYAK MISSION UNIVERSITY ...   APPELLANT(s)

                     Versus

NATIONAL BOARD OF EXAMINATIONS AND OTHERS .   RESPONDENT(s)

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WITH

CIVIL  APPEAL NO. 2457  OF 2012              [ARISING OUT OF S.L.P. (C) NO. 19294 OF 2011]

SAIRAJA VAIKUNTH AND OTHERS ...   APPELLANT(s)

                     Versus

VINAYAKA MISSION UNIVERSITY AND OTHERS .   RESPONDENT(s)

J U D G M E N T  

  R.M. LODHA, J.

Permission to file Special Leave Petition is granted  

in S.L.P. (C) No. 19294 of 2011.

2. I.A. No. 2 of 2012 – application for impleadment is  

granted in S.L.P. (C) No. 26236 of 2010. Leave granted in  

all the Special Leave Petitions.  

3. We have heard Mr. G. Umapathy, learned counsel for  

Vinayaka  Mission  University,  Mr.  K.Ramamoorthy,  learned  

senior  counsel   and  Mr.  Dinesh  Dwivedi,  learned  senior  

counsel  for  the  students,  Mr.  R.F.  Nariman,  learned  

Solicitor General for the Union of India and Mr. Amrendra  

Sharan, learned senior counsel for the Medical Council of  

India.

4. The  Government  of  India,  vide  notification  dated  

October 10, 2006, accorded its approval to the proposal of  

Vinayaka Mission's  Research Foundation, Salem, now Vinayaka

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Mission  University   (for  short  “VMRF”)  as  a  deemed  

University  for  starting   an  Off-shore  Campus  offering  

medical  programmes  at  Bangkok,  Thailand  with  an  intake  

capacity  and  conditions  of  100  undergraduate  medical  

students per annum on the terms and conditions  mentioned in  

the  Memorandum  of  Understanding  dated  September  19,  2004  

between VMRF and Rangsit University, Thailand.  The approval  

so granted  was subject to certain conditions mentioned at  

serial No. 9 of the endorsement of the above Notification.  

The relevant conditions are as under:

“(i) Vinayaka  Mission's  Research  Foundation,  Deemed  University,  Salem  along  with  its  constituent institutions and its off-shore campus  in Bangkok, Thailand, will continue to abide by  the  norms  and  guidelines  laid  down  and  instructions  issued  from  time  to  time  by  the  University  Grants  Commission  pertaining  to  institutions  notified  as  Deemed  to  be  Universities.

(ii) Vinayaka  Mission's  Research  Foundation,  Deemed University's Bangkok, Thailand's Off-shore  Campus shall be subjected to the laws of the land  of Thailand as applicable.

(iii) The students studying at and passing out  from  the  off-shore  campus  in  Thailand  shall  be  awarded  degree  by  Vinayaka  Mission's  Research  Foundation,  Deemed  University,  clearly  distinguishing  them  (by  stating  that  the  degree  awarded by Vinayak Mission's Research Foundation,  Deemed  University's  Bangkok,  Thailand  Off-shore  Campus)  from  the  degrees  awarded  by  the  Deemed  University in India.  

(iv) All  norms  of  Medical  Council  of  India,  wherever applicable, will continue to be in force  and complied with.

(v) The students studying in and passing out

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from  the  proposed  Off-shore  campus  centre  at  Thailand  would  be  treated  as  those  holding  a  foreign medical degree and would be required to  qualify the screening test as per the provisions  of Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 and Screening  Test  Regulations  2002  of  Medical  Council  of  India.”  

5. From the perusal of the above conditions, two things  

become very clear, namely; (one) the degree shall be awarded  

by the VMRF to the students studying at and passing of the  

Off-shore Campus,  Thailand   by clearly stating that the  

degree has been awarded by VMRF, Deemed University, Bangkok,  

Thailand Off-shore campus and (two) the degree awarded to  

the students shall be treated as a foreign medical degree  

and such students would be required to qualify the screening  

test as per the provisions of Indian Medical Council Act,  

1956 and Screening Test Regulations, 2002 (for short “2002  

Regulations”) as Medical Council of India.

6. Admittedly, the provisional MBBS degree awarded to  

the  concerned  students  by  the  VMRF  (Deemed  University,  

Bangkok,  Thailand  Off-shore  Campus)  is  not  a  degree  

recognised by the  Medical Council of Thailand.  The Medical  

Council of Thailand has accorded its approval now to the  

faculty  of  Medicine,  VMRF  as  a  medical  institution  for  

awarding MBBS degree for five years for the period March 10,  

2011 till March 9, 2016.  More over, nothing has been shown  

either  to  the  High  Court  or  to  us  that  the  course  in  

Thailand is in any way recognised or is approved by the  

Medical Council of India.

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7. Regulation 2(f) of 2002 Regulations defines “Primary  

Medical qualification” which means a medical qualification  

awarded by any medical institution outside India which is a  

recognised  qualification  for  enrollment  as  medical  

practitioner  in  the  country  in  which  the  institution  

awarding the said qualification is situated and which is  

equivalent  to  MBBS  in  India.  Eligibility  criteria  for  

screening  test  is  provided  in  Regulation  4  of  2002  

Regulations.  Regulation 4(1), as was existing during the  

relevant time, reads as under:

“(1)  No person shall be allowed to appear in the  screening test unless: he/she  is  a  citizen  of  India  and  possesses  any  primary medical qualification, either whose name and  the  institution  awarding  it  are  included  in  the  World Directory of Medial Schools, published by the  World Health Organization; or which is confirmed by  the  Indian  Embassy  concerned  to  be  a  recognised  qualification for enrollment as medical practitioner  in the country in which the institution awarding the  said qualification is situated.”

8. The  students,  who  are  before  us,  claim  to  have  

completed medical course and  have been issued provisional  

certificate  by  VMRF  on  June  20,  2009.   One  of  such  

certificates reads as under:

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          VINAYAKA MISSIONS UNIVERSITY

           UNDER SECTION 3 OF THE UGC ACT, 1956

                 SALEM, TAMILNADU, INDIA

Formerly known as Vinayaka Mission's Research Foundation  Deemed University)

          OFF-SHORE CAMPUS – BANGKOK- THAILAND  

              PROVISIONAL CERTIFICATE

REG. NO. VR MBU 04 1003            DATE: 20-06-2009

  This is to certify that J. MOHAMED IBRAHIM has passed  the Final Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery  Degree Examination held in  May, 2009.  He/She will be  qualified  to  receive  the  M.B.B.S.  Degree  after  satisfactorily  completing  the  prescribed  period  of  Compulsory Rotatory Resident Internship for one year.

                               sd/-

                        CONTROLLER OF EXAMINATIONS      

9. Based  on  the  above  certificate,  these  students  

applied  for  screening  test  through  VMRF  to  the  National  

Board of Examination (NBE).  NBE did not respond to such  

applications.  VMRF  then  moved  to  the  Madras  High  Court  

during  vacation.  The  Vacation  Judge  issued  certain  

directions.  Pursuant thereto, 21 students appeared in the  

screening  test.  Of  these  21  students,  4  cleared  the  

screening test.   The Writ Petition ultimately came to be  

allowed. NBE challenged the judgment and order of the Single

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Judge in intra court appeal before the Division Bench.  The  

Division Bench allowed the appeal and set-aside the judgment  

and order of the Single Judge.  

10. The Division Bench, in the impugned order, has noted  

that  VMRF   was  not  approved  by  the  Medical  Council  of  

Thailand and inspite of opportunity, nothing was produced to  

show that the degree awarded by the VMRF was recognised.

11. A bare look at the eligibility criteria provided in  

Regulation  4(1)  of  2002  Regulations  leaves  no  manner  of  

doubt  that  a  candidate  who  intends  to  appear  in  the  

screening  test  must,  inter-alia,  possess  primary  medical  

qualification.   Such  qualification  must  be  a  recognised  

qualification for enrollment as a medical practitioner in  

the  country  in  which  the  institution  awarding  such  

qualification is situated.  

12. Admittedly,  the provisional degree awarded by the  

VMRF to  these students  is not  recognised by  the Medical  

Council  of  Thailand.  These  students,  who  claim  to  have  

completed their course in the off-shore campus of VMRF, are  

not entitled to register the degree awarded to them by VMRF  

with  the  Medical  Council  of  Thailand.   The  provisional  

degree awarded by VMRF to these students, therefore, does  

not amount  to primary  medical qualification.    The view  

taken by the Division Bench that the students do not possess  

eligibility of primary medical qualification, thus,  cannot

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be said to suffer from any illegality.

13. Mr. K. Ramamoorthy, learned senior counsel for the  

students heavily relied upon the decision of this Court in  

Soham Mayankumar Vyas and others vs. Union of India and  

others1 .  However, in view of peculiar factual  position of  

this case as noticed above, Soham Mayankumar Vyas has no  

application at all.  

14. Civil  Appeals  are,  accordingly,  dismissed  with  no  

order as to costs.

              .....................J.                                  (R.M. LODHA)

              .....................J.                           (H.L. GOKHALE)

  NEW DELHI    FEBRUARY 22, 2012.

1 (2010) 13 SCC 137