The Madras High Court has permitted a NEET-UG candidate seeking MBBS admission for the 2026–27 academic year to upload her Christian Religious Minority Certificate and compete under the minority category, rectifying an inadvertent error on her online application form.
Justice L. Victoria Gowri instructed the Tamil Nadu medical selection authorities to enable the upload, concluding that allowing the student to participate under the management quota would not compromise candidates on the merit list.
The applicant, who possesses a valid religious and linguistic minority certificate, had accidentally selected “No” instead of “Yes” when asked on the portal whether she intended to apply under the Religious Minority category. After noticing the mistake, she submitted a formal representation on August 7, 2026, asking admission authorities to reopen the portal. She approached the High Court after officials failed to address her request.
Procedural Delay And Defense Arguments
Opposing the petition, state representatives argued that the application timeline had concluded after an extension from June 26 to July 27, 2026. The authorities contended that permitting alterations at a stage when counselling was set to commence on August 13 would disrupt the selection process.
The state also relied on the official admission prospectus, which requires applicants claiming religious or linguistic minority status to attach their certificates during the initial application process and explicitly bars subsequent claims.
Court Observations And Final Directives
In support of the petition, the applicant’s counsel cited a High Court precedent that granted similar relief to a student attempting to upload a Telugu Linguistic Minority Certificate.
Reviewing the record, Justice Gowri observed that the candidate was strictly attempting to secure an MBBS seat under the religious and linguistic minority management quota. Finding no evidence that accommodating the request would adversely affect any candidate on the merit list, the court issued an order on August 11 directing the authorities to accept the certificate and allow the candidate to participate in the MBBS 2026–2027 selection process under the Religious Minority category.
