Supreme Court Landmark Judgment on Disability Rights: Orders Fair Admission for Disabled MBBS Aspirant Under SC-PwBD Quota
The Supreme Court ruled that denying MBBS admission to a meritorious PwBD (Persons with Benchmark Disabilities) candidate under the SC-PwBD quota violated Articles 14, 16, and 21 of the Constitution. The Court emphasized reasonable accommodation under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, overturning NMC’s exclusionary guidelines and directing AIIMS to admit the appellant in the 2025-26 session
Facts Of The Case:
Kabir Paharia, a Scheduled Caste (SC) candidate with 42% locomotor disability (congenital absence of multiple fingers in both hands and toes in the left foot), scored 542 marks in NEET-UG 2024, securing All India Rank (AIR) 176 in the PwBD (Persons with Benchmark Disabilities) category. Despite his high merit, he was denied MBBS admission after medical boards at Var...