KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday issued a verdict in the name of colleges concerned to maintain meritocracy in the admission of students for the post graduate level (PG) of medical sciences.

A division bench of Justices Sharada Prasad Ghimire and Bishwambhar Prasad Shrestha directed the Universal College of Medical Sciences and Birgunj National Medical College to enrol students on the basis of merit list recommended by the Institute of Medicine (IoM).

The SC's verdict comes after the two colleges were charged of enrolling 53 students by charging high fees, thereby violating the merit list recommended by the IoM.

The verdict has also concluded illegal to the move of the two colleges to admit students by charging them of exorbitant fees arbitrarily.

A total of 20 students including Sandip Kandel had lodged the writ petition against Birgunj National Medical College while Lalit Jung Shahi and 32 others had filed the case against Universal College of Medical Sciences on different dates.