Jodhpur, May 28 -- The Rajasthan high court set aside the suspension orders of multiple MBBS students accused of impersonating candidates during the NEET-UG 2023 examination, ruling that in the absence of a statutory provision permitting such suspension, the action taken by their colleges and the National Medical Commission (NMC) is illegal and violative of their fundamental rights. Justice Dinesh Mehta, allowing a bunch of writ petitions filed by students from various government medical colleges in Rajasthan, observed on Monday that although the allegation of impersonation was serious, there was no statutory basis for suspending the petitioners from their respective courses. "The action on the part of the respondents in placing the petitioners under suspension is like holding them guilty and punishing them before the competent court convicts them," the court noted, emphasizing that suspension without a specific statutory provision amounts to a violation of Articles 19(1)(g) and 21 of the Constitution. The students had been suspended following directions from the NMC after FIRs were lodged against them for alleged impersonation in the NEET-UG examination. While some were caught red-handed, others were named during investigation. The colleges justified the suspension on the grounds of upholding academic integrity and professional ethics. However, the Court held that provisions cited by the respondents-such as the NMC Act, the 2023 Competency Based Medical Education Guidelines, and the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024-do not empower authorities to suspend students for impersonation in public examinations. The 2021 anti-ragging regulations cited in defence were deemed inapplicable. The Court directed the colleges to allow the students to resume classes and permitted them to appear in examinations, subject to attendance. However, the Court imposed a cautionary restriction: degrees shall not be issued, nor shall the students be registered as medical professionals until they are acquitted of all criminal charges. If convicted, the NMC will be free to cancel their admissions....