Thrice rejected for MBBS, disabled to get entry to AIIMS SC ORDER

Thrice rejected for MBBS, disabled to get entry to AIIMS  SC ORDER 

 Rema.Nagarajan@timesofindia.com 06.05.2025

Supreme Court has ordered that Kabir Paharia, who was rejected thrice by medical boards and judged ineligible to pursue MBBS, be given admission to MBBS in AIIMS, New Delhi, in the 2025-26 session. After a fourth medical board, set up on SC’s orders, declared Kabir eligible in its April 24 report, the court noted that a candidate who secured a rank lower than his had been granted admission under SC disability quota in MBBS at AIIMS Delhi for 2024-25. Since the 2024-25 academic session must have progressed significantly, it would not be expedient to grant him admission to that session, concluded the court. 

The court also stated that in view of the high marks secured by Kabir in the NEET UG 2024 examination (542 out of 720), he shall not be required to undergo the 2025 examination. The court held that denial of admission to Kabir was “grossly illegal, arbitrary”, and violative of his fundamental rights. “Such action not only reflects institutional bias and systemic discrimination but also undermines the principles of equal opportunity and nondiscrimination enshrined in our constitutional framework.

The constitutional mandate of substantive equality demands that persons with disabilities (PwD) and PwBD (people with benchmark disabilities) be afforded reasonable accommodations rather than subjected to exclusionary practices based on unfounded presumptions about their capabilities,” stated the court in its order. Kabir, who has congenital disabilities involving his hands and feet, had cleared his class X and XII exams with high marks without the assistance of a scribe. The court directed NMC to revise its guidelines within two months, focusing on functional assessments rather than disability extent. This is to ensure no deserving candidate with benchmark disabilities is denied admission.