HC orders state to revise ranking list for MBBS under sports quota

Bengaluru: The Karnataka high court has ordered the Department of Youth Services and Sports to revise the ranking list involving 18 year-old Aditi Dinesh Rao, and three other individuals regarding their eligibility for admission to undergraduate medical programmes under the sports quota, and submit it to the Karnataka Examinations Authority. This comes as a huge relief to Aditi.

A division bench made up of Justices Alok Aradhe and S Vishwajith Shetty also ordered KEA to guarantee that applicants are admitted depending on where they stand on the rank list that will be provided by the department of youth services and sports.

Aditi, who had enrolled in the BDS programme in protest, had contested Sathwik Shivanand, SR Prathima, and Khushi M. Hombal's admittance under the sports quota (all of whom were chess players).

Aditi's counsel, MP Srikanth, informed the court that the authorities had changed the rank list, placing the other three above the petitioner despite without giving her a chance to be heard because they believed that chess was an international game.

In addition, he noted that while Aditi had received numerous awards, Shivanand, Prathima, and Hombal had not. On the other hand, the state government asserted that Aditi had contacted the court after its deadline.

While partially allowing Aditi's petition, the court noted that it is abundantly clear from a reading of the eligibility requirements for the sports quota that candidates who have competed for their nation in international competitions or have represented the state of Karnataka in national championships should have won medals or cups there.

There is no disputing that the petitioner won four gold, three silver, and one bronze medals in the national diving competition held by the Swimming Federation of India, but the bench noted that there is no evidence to support that respondents 3 to 5 (the three chess players) won any medals or trophies in any competition held by the All India Chess Federation or the School Games Federation of India, both of which are recognised national sports federations.

It was further stated that simply though respondents 3 to 5 had competed in national and international competitions, which were undoubtedly held by different private organisations, did not mean that they met the requirements for the sports quota.