In a pivotal decision, the Gujarat High Court has revoked the MBBS admission of a student, the son of a panipuri seller from Uttar Pradesh, over a contentious caste certificate issue. The student, who had been admitted under a reserved category, was found not to belong to the Socially Economic Backward Class (SEBC) in Gujarat, leading to the cancellation of his admission.
The bench, led by Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Aniruddha P Mayee, underscored that an invalid caste certificate automatically negates the legitimacy of the admission secured on its basis. The court firmly stated that sympathy could not override the legal criteria for admissions, emphasizing the importance of adhering to the established rules and regulations.
This decision came after the admissions committee’s appeal against a single judge’s previous ruling, which had reinstated the student’s admission, was upheld. The High Court bench declared the single judge’s decision as illegal and void, affirming that the student could not be considered for admission in the open category either.
The controversy began when Alpeshkumar Rathod’s admission to a medical college was revoked in September 2023 after it was discovered that his caste, Teli, does not fall under the OBC category in Gujarat, as argued by advocate general Manisha Shah and assistant government counsel KM Antani on behalf of the Admission Committee.
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The High Court agreed with the Admission Committee’s stance, noting the absence of any OBC caste certificate for the student or his family members in Gujarat. The court also highlighted that Rathod’s high score in the NEET examination and his potential to secure admission in the open category within Gujarat did not justify upholding his reserved category admission.
The ruling clarified that while Rathod could pursue admission under the reserved category in Uttar Pradesh, he is ineligible for the same benefits within Gujarat.
