NEET UG 2023: Uncertain Future of Top Scorer for Violating Norms

Khalid had obtained an impressive 99.3 percentile in NEET, which qualified him for admission to any top university. Subsequently, he secured admission to a prestigious medical college in Puducherry.

NEET UG

NEET UG:  Najih Sarfraz Khalid, a medical student, had a promising future until Saminathan S, another student, discovered a glitch in his application and reported it to the authorities. Khalid had obtained an impressive 99.3 percentile in NEET, which qualified him for admission to any top university. Subsequently, he secured admission to a prestigious medical college in Puducherry.

Unfortunately, Khalid’s admission is now at risk because he claimed residency in both Kerala and Puducherry, which is a violation of the Union Territory’s admission norms. Although Saminathan raised the issue with the authorities, they initially ignored his complaint. Later, Saminathan approached the Madras High Court seeking a solution.

According to admission norms, Khalid’s admission could be canceled due to the violation of residency norms. This would have severe repercussions on his medical career.

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On Wednesday, a single judge bench of the Madras High Court directed the Puducherry government and the Union Health Ministry to make an “appropriate decision” on the admission of a first-year MBBS student at JIPMER in Puducherry named Khalid, whose admission was called into question by an 18-year-old student named Saminathan. Justice CV Karthikeyan, the presiding judge, stated in the judgment that it is not the court’s place to advise public servants on their duties, and that the admission authorities will need to make a decision based on their rules. Saminathan had alleged that Khalid had claimed nativity in both Puducherry and Kerala during the admission process.

As per admission norms, a student is not permitted to claim nativity in more than one state during an academic year when applying for admission to medical colleges. Saminathan, who was granted admission to the JIPMER campus in Karaikal, which is considered secondary to the Puducherry campus, demanded that Khalid’s admission be revoked because he allegedly provided misleading information to the authorities by submitting a false affidavit claiming nativity in both Puducherry and Kerala.

Saminathan requested that he be transferred to the Puducherry campus on the seat presently occupied by Khalid. Although Khalid denied any wrongdoing, it was found that he had violated the nativity norm, and the Department of Medical Education (DME) of Puducherry filed an affidavit stating that only the Directorate General of Health Services, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) could cancel the admission. The MoHFW requested that the court take an appropriate decision. The high court has now directed both authorities to take appropriate action within 10 working days based on the declaration that Khalid obtained a seat through a false declaration.

In 2022, the Madras High Court had ordered the Centralised Admission Committee (CENTAC) of Puducherry to include a specific undertaking in its prospectus that candidates and their parents/guardians must declare that they have not claimed residence benefits in any other State or Union Territory for admission to undergraduate medical courses. However, despite giving such an undertaking, Khalid had falsely claimed to be a native of Kerala.

According to medical education counselors, students need to be aware of the consequences of claiming nativity in more than one state, as such actions can block medical seats and create hindrances in the admission process for other eligible candidates. “Since a certain percentage of seats are reserved for local students under the residency quota, many students falsely claim dual nativity to take advantage of this in more than one state. Students should take note of the Najih case and learn that misleading and false undertakings can ruin their careers,” advised Panchapakesan Ganesan, a medical education counselor from Puducherry.

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