The Orissa High Court has set aside a state medical assessment board decision that disqualified an entrance examinee diagnosed with Beta Thalassemia Trait from seeking disability quota benefits, directing authorities to constitute a new panel to calculate her disability percentage.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice Chittaranjan Dash instructed the Director of Medical Education and Training, Odisha, to form a fresh medical board. The petitioner, who applied under the disability quota for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), was directed to appear before the new panel so officials can determine whether she meets statutory eligibility thresholds for medical admissions.
Legal Scope of Specified Disabilities
Invalidating the medical panel’s findings, the high court held that denying certification to an individual with Beta Thalassemia Trait violates both the letter and intent of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. The judges pointed out that thalassemia is explicitly cataloged as a specified disability under the governing legislation and a May 13, 2019 notification issued by the Board of Governors superseding the Medical Council of India, which outlines percentage-based entry standards for medical candidates.
The bench ruled that the medical board erred by evaluating the candidate’s condition against criteria reserved for locomotor impairments, even though thalassemia does not restrict physical movement. The court stated that once a condition is formally scheduled as a disability under law, medical assessment panels cannot exceed statutory limits by applying the benchmarks of unrelated disability categories to deny certification.
Background of the Case
The student initially applied for the medical entrance test supported by a certificate from a competent authority stating her disability level exceeded 40 percent. Upon subsequent referral to a medical assessment board, officials concluded that her diagnosis—Beta Thalassemia Trait—represented an asymptomatic carrier status that caused no significant functional impairment, making her ineligible for a disability certificate.
Beta thalassemia is an inherited blood condition that impedes the production of a key protein necessary to manufacture hemoglobin.
The candidate had previously contested the board’s findings before the high court. On August 20, the court granted her leave to submit a formal representation to the chairman of the Odisha Joint Entrance Examination, 2026. However, the appellate authority subsequently issued a notice affirming that she could not claim reservations under the 2016 statute, leading to the latest proceedings in which the division bench quashed the initial assessment and mandated a fresh evaluation.
