The Madras High Court has directed the authorities concerned to reserve three seats in the first year MBBS course under the disabled category for three candidates for 2013-14.
Justice KK Sasidharan gave the direction on Monday, when the writ petitions from T Nalini of Injimedu village in Tiruvannamalai district and two others came up today.
According to Nalini, she met with an accident and her left leg had been amputated below the knee. She was fitted with an artificial leg and she could walk and even run.
She was issued with a disability certificate by the district authorities, who assessed her of having 60 per cent locomotor disability.
She was also subjected to medical examination and the district medical board assessed the disability at 65 per cent and gave a certificate to that effect.
She was invited for counselling on June 18 last. She was again subjected to medical examination and the panel of doctors assessed the disability at 75 per cent. Following this, she was not given the seat.
Petitioner contended that the intention of the Disability Act, 1995, was to help the persons with disability.
The attitude of the authorities concerned to reappraise the percentage of disability, who had already been subjected to medical examination by the district medical board, would be unfair and would lead to malpractice and corruption.
Last year, nine seats reserved under disabled category were not filled up for want of disabled candidates and they all went to other normal candidates, petitioner pointed out. The rejection of her candidature based upon the fresh medical examination at the time of counselling that she was not eligible or did not come within the purview of the guidelines issued in this regard, was illegal, unjustified, biased and arbitrary, petitioner further contended.