‘Local status strictly as per President’s order’: Andhra Pradesh HC
VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has reiterated the criteria for determining local status for candidates seeking admission to MBBS and BDS courses, dismissing several petitions challenging the existing guidelines.
The court emphasised that the Presidential Orders, and a prior ruling by a three-judge bench are clear and binding, leaving no room for new interpretations. According to the court’s ruling, candidates can be considered ‘local’ for admissions in a specific university area (such as Sri Venkateswara University or Andhra University) if they meet one of the following conditions:
Study in Local Area: The candidate must have studied consecutively for four years in the claimed local area (university jurisdiction) and completed their qualifying examination (Intermediate or +2) there.
Residence in Local Area: Even if the candidate did not study in the local area, they can qualify as a local candidate if they have resided in that area for four consecutive years at the time of taking the qualifying examination. Candidates who have resided anywhere in AP for seven consecutive years, even if they did not study in the claimed local area, are also eligible for local status.
The court clarified that candidates who studied outside AP but claim residency in the State cannot be considered local candidates for MBBS and BDS admissions unless they meet the above criteria.