Only Telangana caste certificates applicable for medical PG seats, says High Court

HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court has upheld Telangana’s decision regarding reservations in postgraduate medical admissions, ruling that the state has the authority to determine reservation policies in its notification for filling medical PG seats. The court dismissed petitions challenging the notification, reinforcing that candidates must adhere to Telangana’s reservation policies.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Pal and Justice Renuka Yara delivered the verdict after hearing arguments from Advocate General (AG) A Sudarshan Reddy, who represented the state government, T Sarath for Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences, and senior advocate B Mayur Reddy for the petitioners.

The dispute arose from a notification issued in October 2023 for PG medical admissions under the Competent Authority quota for the 2024-25 academic year. The notification mandated that candidates applying under Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Backward Class (BC) categories must submit the latest social status certificate issued by the Telangana government’s Competent Authority. This provision was challenged by CH Niharika from Nellore and others, who argued that it contradicted the Telangana medical college admission rules of 2021 and sought recognition of caste certificates issued by the Andhra Pradesh government.

During the proceedings, the AG emphasised that, under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, reservations for students from Andhra Pradesh in Telangana medical seats were only applicable for a period of 10 years-ending in June 2024. He cited the Act’s provisions and past Supreme Court rulings, stating that Telangana’s reservations apply only to those recognised as SCs, STs, and BCs in Telangana, and such candidates must submit caste certificates issued by the Telangana government.

Considering these arguments, the high court ruled in favour of the Telangana government and dismissed the petitions.