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Certificate 'A' Holders Excluded From NEET :
The has upheld the State’s policy of awarding in NEET admissions only to cadets holding Certificate ‘B’, while excluding those with Certificate ‘A’. A Division Bench of Justice P. Sam Koshy and Justice Narsing Rao Nandikonda ruled that the classification is reasonable and does not violate .
The decision came in a filed by Chatla Susheel Kumar, a minor represented by his father, challenging , as amended by . The provision grants cadets who have obtained a ‘B’ Certificate before the qualifying examination a 3% addition to their NEET score, but offers no such benefit to ‘A’ Certificate holders.
Background: From Reservation to
Until the , the State reserved 1% of MBBS and BDS seats horizontally for cadets under a graded scheme. In , the government replaced that reservation with a system of , intending to benefit a broader base of cadets who qualify NEET. The revised policy grants marks based on participation in Republic Day Camp (7%), Thal Sainik or Vayu Sainik Camp (5%), and possession of ‘B’ Certificate (3%). Holders of the ‘A’ Certificate were left out entirely.
Petitioner’s Arguments: Arbitrary
, representing the petitioner, argued that the training undertaken for Certificate ‘A’ and ‘B’ is substantially similar, differing only in the educational stage at which the cadet receives the certificate. Certificate ‘A’ is awarded to students up to Class X, while Certificate ‘B’ is given to those beyond Class X. The petitioner contended that excluding ‘A’ holders solely on this basis is arbitrary and violates the under Article 14, especially when the State’s stated goal is to incentivize participation.
Respondent’s Defense: and Precedent
The Government Pleader for Medical and Health submitted that the was not sustainable in light of an earlier Division Bench decision in Silamkoti Yanjleena vs. State of Telangana ( ), which had already upheld the shift from reservation to as a . The State argued that the classification was based on —the ‘B’ Certificate reflects continued participation through Class XII, the stage at which a candidate becomes eligible for NEET.
Court’s Analysis:
The Bench distinguished the present challenge from the earlier one, noting that the previous decision dealt with the overall shift in policy, while this petition specifically targeted the exclusion of ‘A’ Certificate holders. On the merits, the Court applied the from the ’s ruling in Deepak Sibal vs. Punjab University ( ): the classification must be founded on an , and that differentia must have a to the object sought to be achieved.
The Court observed that Certificate ‘A’ is obtained by students below Class X, whereas Certificate ‘B’ requires completion of Class XII—the minimum qualification for NEET. The government’s objective was to reward cadets who remained in until the point of NEET eligibility, thereby encouraging sustained participation.
“This, in the opinion of this Bench, is in itself a which can be drawn by the policy-makers,” the judgment stated.
Key Observations
The Bench emphasized that of policy decisions is limited. It quoted the earlier Division Bench: “The Court does not sit in appeal to examine the wisdom or efficacy of a policy formulated by the State. The choice between providing a or awarding is a matter of legislative and executive policy, in which the interference of this Court is very limited and restrictive.”
On the specific classification, the Court noted: “Insofar as exclusion of Certificate ‘A’ holders from being awarded , what is appearing is that Certificate ‘A’ is provided to students below Class X, and Certificate ‘B’ is awarded to students who have done Class X + 2. Therefore, Class X + 2 is the minimum qualification required for participating in the NEET examination and therefore the Government decided to provide for students having Certificate ‘B’.”
Decision
The Court found no in the classification and dismissed the with . The judgment clarifies that states may adopt differentiated incentives for cadets as long as the classification bears a rational connection to a legitimate goal—here, encouraging continued participation through the NEET-eligible stage.
