HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court's division bench has issued notices to the Union of India, the state of Telangana, and Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Basava Sri Datta Sankeerth and 45 other NEET-UG 2024 aspirants. The petition challenges recent amendments to the Telangana Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Rules made through Government Order (GO) 33.
The bench, consisting of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J. Sreenivas Rao, has requested responses from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, the Telangana Medical and Health Services Department, and the university’s Registrar.
The petitioners are seeking a ruling to declare GO 33, issued on July 19, 2024, as illegal and arbitrary. This GO amended Rule 3 of the Telangana Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Rules, 2017, altering the criteria for defining local candidates. The petitioners argue that the amendment, made after the NEET-UG 2024 application process had started, infringes on their rights.
The PIL asserts that the amendment breaches Article 371D of the Constitution, Section 95 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, and a Presidential Order from July 10, 1979, which provide special provisions for local candidates in the state. It also claims that GO 33 violates Articles 14, 16, and 21 of the Constitution, which ensure equality before the law, equal opportunity, and protection of life and personal liberty.
The petitioners have requested that the court annul GO 33 and permit them to participate in the NEET-UG 2024 selection process as local candidates based on the rules in effect when they applied, took the exam, and awaited results. The court has directed the respondents to submit their replies and scheduled the case for further hearing.