VIJAYAWADA: The High Court on Friday imposed a fine of Rs 7 lakh on Dr NTR University of Health Sciences for wrongfully denying admission to a meritorious medical aspirant due to its negligence.
The university was ordered to pay the amount as compensation to the petitioner, Revuru Venkata Ashritha.
Ashritha appeared for NEET in 2022 and possessed an NCC B-grade certificate. During counselling, she opted for an MBBS seat under the Open Women category.
Three medical colleges - Sri Venkateswara Medical College, Narayana Medical College, and Padmavathi Medical College - each had one seat available for the NCC category. However, the university allotted the seat at Narayana Medical College to another candidate, Desaboina Chandhana Akshitha, who had scored one mark less than Ashritha.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Dheeraj Singh Thakur and Justice Raavu Raghunandan Rao ruled that the university failed to follow reservation norms, rendering Akshitha’s admission invalid. Since the court could not offer Ashritha a medical seat, it directed the university to compensate her Rs 7 lakh for its oversight.