Back
: Medical Board Cannot Reassess Disability Percentage in UDID for MBBS Admission
Court Reaffirms Primacy of UDID Over Medical Board Assessment
In a significant ruling that reinforces the authority of the card, the has held that a cannot reassess the percentage of disability already certified by the under the . Justice Amrita Sinha, presiding over a single-judge bench, directed the to issue a fresh to a NEET-UG 2026 candidate whose disability percentage had been wrongly reduced by the assessment board.
Petitioner's Disability Was Reduced from 60% to 32%
The petitioner, Rashid Aktar Hussain, who suffers from a 60% locomotor disability in the right upper limb (congenital shortening of the right arm), secured an all-India rank of 1936 in the category in NEET-UG 2026. He held a valid issued by the on , certifying his disability at 60%.
However, when he appeared before the as per the 2026 guidelines for MBBS admission, the board reassessed his disability and reduced it to 29% on . The , on appeal, further revised it to 32%, rendering him ineligible for —which requires a minimum 40% disability under .
Court: Act Prevails Over Guidelines
The petitioner argued that the had no authority to reassess the already certified by the under the Act. The respondents contended that the board was required to verify the nature and extent of disability in accordance with the guidelines published by the .
Justice Sinha rejected this approach, observing that “the act of ascertaining percentage of disability afresh by the or the to ascertain whether a candidate can get the benefit of reservation in is directly contrary to the Act.” The court emphatically stated: “The provision of the Act will always prevail over any guidelines issued by the authority.”
Alone Can Be Assessed
The court noted that both the and the had already found the petitioner functionally competent—he demonstrated ability to complete the MBBS course, did not require assistive support, and posed no risk to patient safety. Yet they proceeded to reassess his disability percentage.
“Once the is assessed and issued reflecting such quantum, there is hardly any scope to reassess the same by any other authority not prescribed by law,” the court held, adding that “there cannot be two separate criteria to identify of a person.”
The court relied on the 's judgment in Om Rathod v. Director General of Health Services (2024) and a coordinate bench decision in Mitadru Sau v. State of West Bengal (2024), which had similarly held that the disability percentage in the UDID must be treated as final.
Immediate Relief for NEET-UG Candidate
Setting aside the conclusion that the petitioner was ineligible for , Justice Sinha directed IPGME&R to issue a fresh by , strictly relying on the disability percentage in the . The petitioner will now be entitled to participate in the next round of NEET-UG counselling.
The judgment serves as a clear reminder that medical assessment boards for professional courses must confine themselves to evaluating and cannot second-guess disability certifications issued under the . The , issued by the , , remains the authoritative document for determining status.
