Court Upholds Merit Over Bureaucracy in Medical Admissions

The Delhi High Court has directed AIIMS Bhubaneswar to admit a candidate who had secured seats in both NEET-PG and INICET counselling. Justice Jasmeet Singh observed that a meritorious student should not be denied admission simply because their original documents were held by another medical college. The court asserted that rules and regulations are meant to support justice and cannot prevent substantive relief for a candidate admitted through a fair, merit-based process. The ruling stated that a meritorious candidate cannot suffer due to systemic or administrative deficiencies within the admission framework.

The case involved Abhishek Singh, who sought admission to the MD (Pharmacology) course at AIIMS Bhubaneswar through INICET counselling. He had also secured a seat via NEET-PG counselling but faced denial at AIIMS Bhubaneswar for not submitting original documents. The court found that the petitioner was a bona fide student and could not be penalized for circumstances beyond his control, such as the other institute's failure to release his documents. The court allowed the petition, ordering the release of documents and subsequent admission if found in order.

AIIMS Bhubaneswar had acted according to its prospectus, which requires physical verification of original documents at the time of reporting. The petitioner had attempted to resign from his prior admission to Rani Durgavati Medical College to pursue the seat at AIIMS Bhubaneswar but faced administrative hurdles. The court clarified that the petitioner's inability to produce documents was a systemic failure, not negligence on his part. The high court's decision prioritized substantive justice over procedural inflexibility, ensuring that merit prevails.