Now Reading: Allahabad HC: Medical board cannot redetermine disability percentage for NEET PwBD quota
-
01
Allahabad HC: Medical board cannot redetermine disability percentage for NEET PwBD quota
Allahabad HC: Medical board cannot redetermine disability percentage for NEET PwBD quota
The Allahabad High Court has ruled that the Medical Assessment Board constituted by the National Medical Commission (NMC) cannot reassess the percentage of disability recorded in a valid certificate issued under the…
The Allahabad High Court has ruled that the Medical Assessment Board constituted by the National Medical Commission (NMC) cannot reassess the percentage of disability recorded in a valid certificate issued under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act. The court held that the board's role is limited to assessing whether a candidate can pursue an MBBS course with reasonable accommodation and assistive devices, not to redetermine the disability percentage. A division bench of Justices Shekhar B Saraf and Abdhesh Kumar Chaudhary quashed board findings that had declared three candidates ineligible for PwBD reservation in NEET-UG 2026 counselling.
The court noted that Shubham Mishra (certified 45% disability from Bell's palsy), Saurabh Rana (50% profound hearing loss) and Gulfam Ahmed (40% blindness) were all found functionally capable by the medical boards, yet their disability percentages were reduced, making them ineligible for reservation. The court said a valid disability certificate under Sections 56 and 57 of the RPwD Act binds all authorities unless set aside by a judicial or statutory forum. The bench directed authorities to include the candidates in the remaining NEET-UG 2026 counselling under the PwBD category.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both sources report the same legal ruling with near-identical factual details. The Economic Times piece leads with the court's core holding and the government directive, while LiveLaw leads with the court's criticism of 'repeated litigation' and uses the judge's 'deeply regrettable' language. LiveLaw also quotes the court's observation that a column in a form cannot override the parent statute, which it frames as a rebuke to the NMC board. The balanced reading is that the court has firmly limited the board's jurisdiction: it can assess functional capacity, not re-quantify disability. The next step is the ongoing NEET-UG 2026 counselling, where these candidates must now be included.
Coverage: 2 sources, 1 government-critical, 1 neutral
Sources (2): health.economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report), livelaw.in (government critical)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
