In a major relief to an MBBS aspirant, the Telangana High Court has directed the KalojiNarayanaRao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS) to grant a medical seat to an NRI candidate who was earlier denied admission stating that she had no proof of study of biological sciences in her qualifying examination.
A division bench of honorable justices M.S. RamachandraRao and T. AmarnathGoud pronouncing the verdict said the student P. Srikerti Reddy, an Indian-American girl student with roots in Warangal, seeking MBBS admission under NRI quota meant for foreign nationals, should be given medical seat without insisting for proof that she studied biological sciences in the qualifying exam.
The student, whose father is of Indian origin, and had settled down in the U.S. long ago, completed Class-XII at Conard High School under West Hartford Board of Education, Connecticut, USA. Aiming to become a doctor, she appeared for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) undergraduate exam in the foreign national category and secured an all-India rank of 4,82,207.
However, her candidature was rejected by the KNRUHS. On December 12, 2020, the university had stated that she was ineligible for admission in the MBBS course as she had no proof of studying biological sciences in the qualifying examination (for Indians, it is Intermediate or CBSE plus two).
She moved the H.C., challenging the university’s decision. The petitioner’s counsel presented to the court that the School Counsellor of Conard high school issued a certificate on December 11, 2020, stating that the student had appeared for the Advanced Placement Biology course. Subjects of biochemistry, cellular biology, organism biology, population biology, Evolution, Genetics, and Ecology were covered deep in that course.
She also presented a certificate issued by the Consulate General of India, New York, endorsing that her 12-year high school diploma in the U.S. was recognised in India as equivalent to a two-year Pre University Course (present Intermediate programme). Another certificate issued by Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education confirmed that the 12th class/senior secondary examination of West Hartford Board of Education, Connecticut, USA, was equivalent to the Intermediate course. To the relief of the candidate, the bench declared the action of the KNRUHS in treating the petitioner as ineligible for admission into MBBS Course for the academic year 2020-21 under Management Quota Category-C(NRI) as illegal, arbitrary and violative of Article 14 of the Constitution of India and the direction was issued to the medical university. The university cannot improve and add new grounds to make her ineligible for admission, the bench said.
