New Delhi: The Bombay High Court has intervened in a case involving an MBBS aspirant who was denied admission to Sindhudurga Shikshan Prasarak Mandal Medical College in Maharashtra due to issues with her caste certificate. The court directed the creation of a supernumerary seat to accommodate the student, who had been denied admission during the stray vacancy round of Maharashtra NEET UG counselling 2024.
The petitioner, who claims to belong to the Mali – Other Backward Class (OBC) category, had submitted both a caste certificate and a caste validity certificate. However, she was denied admission because the date on her caste certificate did not align with the one on her caste validity certificate. The petitioner had lost her original caste certificate and could not obtain a duplicate, leading her to submit a new one, which was rejected.
The Maharashtra government has requested the National Medical Commission (NMC) to approve the creation of an extra seat for the petitioner, in compliance with the court’s order. This will allow the student to complete her admission process for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Anand Bapat, an activist from Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena who helped the candidate with the legal challenge, welcomed the court’s decision. He highlighted how medical colleges in Maharashtra often deny admission to deserving candidates and criticized the lack of action from government authorities.
The student was selected based on her NEET UG 2024 results and had appeared on the general waiting list for the college. Despite fulfilling the eligibility criteria, the admission was delayed due to the mismatch in her caste certificates. The Bombay High Court ruled that the petitioner should be admitted to the college through the creation of a supernumerary seat, with the same fees applicable as those for students admitted through the stray vacancy round.
