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Synopsis

State of Telangana has approached Supreme Court challenging the High court's decision reading down the rule requiring ‘four years continuous study from classes 9 to 12' for admissions to MBBS and other related courses in the state.

Yesterday, the matter was mentioned before a Chief Justice of India led bench by Senior Advocate Gopal

"They have watered down the domicile admissions..", Sankaranarayanan submitted before the top court which agreed to list the case.

The Telangana High Court in the said judgment ruled that the impugned provision was not applicable to permanent residents or domiciles of Telangana.

"The object of the rule is to benefit permanent residents. We are only ensuring this by reading down the four-year norm for them," a bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Sreenivas Rao said while pronouncing its judgment in a batch of petitions challenging Rule 3 (a) of the Telangana Medical and Dental Colleges Admission (Admission into MBBS & BDS Courses) Rules, 2017.

It was the state government's case that the rule was amended to help local candidates.

"An interpretation which advances the object and purpose of the Act has to be preferred. The object of Rule 3(a) of the 2017 rules, as amended on July 19, 2024, is to provide reservation for local candidates. In case the rule is struck down, then students from all over the country will become entitled to admission in medical colleges situated in Telangana and the domicile/permanent residents of the state would be deprived of the benefit of admission", the bench held.

High Court has also asked the State Government to frame the guidelines/rules to determine as to when a student can be considered as a permanent resident of the State of Telangana.