Bhubaneswar: The Orissa High Court has held that NEET candidates cannot claim “dual educational privileges” by combining academic qualifications from different educational boards to obtain eligibility benefits for MBBS admissions under reserved categories.
The court dismissed a petition filed by a candidate who sought to combine marks obtained from the Odisha State Board and the National Institute of Open Schooling to qualify for admission under the State Government School (SGS) quota.
In its ruling, the High Court clarified that the SGS quota is meant exclusively for students who have completed their education entirely within the state government school system. The court observed that permitting candidates to combine credentials from different educational streams would be inconsistent with the objective and eligibility requirements of the quota.
The judgment upheld the authorities’ decision to deny an MBBS seat to the petitioner on the grounds that the candidate did not satisfy the prescribed eligibility conditions due to dual-board academic credentials.
Legal experts say the ruling is significant as it reinforces the principle that reservation and special quota benefits must be availed strictly in accordance with the eligibility criteria laid down by the government. The verdict is also expected to serve as an important precedent in future disputes relating to admission eligibility and reservation benefits in Odisha.
-OdishaAge
