In a landmark decision expected to benefit thousands of medical aspirants across Uttar Pradesh, the Allahabad High Court has directed the state government to extend a 1 percent reservation in undergraduate admissions to National Cadet Corps (NCC) ‘B’ certificate-holders.
The division bench, comprising Justice Arindam Sinha and Justice Satya Veer Singh, issued the order on Tuesday. Alongside the state directive, the court ordered the National Testing Agency (NTA) to coordinate directly with candidates before the rescheduled National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)-UG 2026, instructing them via email to upload their qualifying certificates.
The ruling came during the disposal of a petition filed by Saksham Srivastava, an active candidate appearing in the NEET-UG 2026 examinations.
Dismantling an “Illusory” Rule
Prior to this ruling, the state of Uttar Pradesh restricted the 1 percent NCC reservation quota exclusively to candidates holding a ‘C’ certificate. However, the High Court identified a critical flaw in this policy, noting that it created an impossible catch-22 for students seeking undergraduate admissions.
Under the existing NCC structure, a ‘C’ certificate is typically completed and awarded during a student’s graduation years. Requiring teenage applicants to produce a college-level qualification just to gain entry into their first undergraduate course made the benefit virtually impossible to claim.
The bench was sharp in its critique of the existing policy, observing:
“To us, it appears that the reservation provided in this State is illusory. This is because a candidate seeking to get admission to a course for graduation being required to produce a C certificate of the grade, a certificate that can only be achieved on graduation is effectively rendering the reservation unworkable.”
Urgent Action Required by NTA
To ensure that deserving candidates are not left behind due to the timing of this ruling, the High Court has put the onus on the National Testing Agency (NTA).
With the NEET-UG 2026 test being rescheduled, the NTA has been directed to immediately notify all eligible candidates through email. This proactive outreach will invite candidates to upload their NCC ‘B’ certificates to the official portal, ensuring their updated reservation status is reflected in the upcoming admission cycle.
