Now Reading: Delayed certificate pushes NEET-qualified disabled student to court
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Delayed certificate pushes NEET-qualified disabled student to court
Money Gupta, a 17-year-old differently abled student who cleared NEET, faced a legal battle after a delayed Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) certificate threatened her medical admission. Born with a limb impairment,…
Money Gupta, a 17-year-old differently abled student who cleared NEET, faced a legal battle after a delayed Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) certificate threatened her medical admission. Born with a limb impairment, she studied at a Kendriya Vidyalaya and qualified for the ESIC quota in ESIC medical colleges. Her family could not obtain the certificate within the deadline despite repeated visits to ESIC offices.
With counselling deadlines approaching, the family approached the Delhi High Court, which helped secure the certificate. Her father Sunil, a security guard, said they initially did not realise the certificate's importance. Education activist and lawyer Ashok Agarwal represented her, arguing that procedural requirements should not become an additional hurdle for differently abled students. Money, who enjoys playing the ukulele and singing, hopes to become a child specialist.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The ESIC quota reserves seats in ESIC-run medical colleges for children of insured employees, but applicants must produce a certificate from the corporation. Delhi High Court has previously directed ESIC to streamline certificate issuance, yet delays persist, particularly for candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds. The case highlights a gap between policy intent and ground-level access: students who clear a competitive exam like NEET can still be blocked by bureaucratic steps that are harder to navigate without resources or awareness. With medical counselling rounds ongoing, the court's intervention here sets no precedent but underscores that individual litigation remains the only recourse for many. The next test is whether ESIC will simplify its own process before the next admission cycle.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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