Telangana HC Supports Challenge to Local Quota in Medical Colleges
HYDERABAD: On Thursday, a bench of the Telangana High Court ruled in favor of a set of 53 writ petitions challenging the validity of Rule 3(a) of the Telangana Medical and Dental Colleges Admission (MBBS and BDS courses) Rules, 2017, as amended by GO 33 on July 19, 2024.
The petitioners, all permanent residents of Telangana, argued that they should be considered local candidates under the 85% local quota for MBBS and BDS admissions, despite having completed their Intermediate education in Andhra Pradesh and other neighboring states. They contended that Rule 3(a) infringed on their rights by not recognizing them as local candidates due to their educational background outside Telangana.
Chief Justice Alok Aradhe’s bench directed that Rule 3(a) be interpreted to include students who are permanent residents of Telangana, regardless of where they completed their education. The court stipulated that petitioners must demonstrate their domicile or permanent residency in Telangana to be eligible for local quota admissions.
The bench also highlighted the lack of clear guidelines from the government for determining a student's permanent residency or domicile status. The court granted the government the responsibility to establish appropriate guidelines to define permanent residency, which will be applied on a case-by-case basis by the University.
Government's Defense of 2017 Rules
Counsel for the petitioners argued that Rule 3(a) was similar to Rule 3(III)(B) of the 2017 Rules, which had been previously invalidated by the High Court on August 29, 2023. They contended that the amended Rule 3(a) did not address the issues raised in the earlier ruling and should be struck down as well.
The state government, represented by the Advocate General, defended the amendments, stating that the 2017 Rules, as modified by GO 72 in 2023, had been upheld by both the Telangana High Court and the Supreme Court. The Advocate General noted that the government was required to redefine the “local area” after a decade, which justified the recent changes in the rules.