The Andhra Pradesh High Court has ordered YSR University of Health and Sciences to pay ₹7 lakh as damages to a medical aspirant who lost her rightful MBBS seat due to improper seat allocation by the University. The court also imposed an additional cost of ₹25,000 on the University.
The judgement was passed by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice R. Raghunandan Rao. The court acknowledged that the petitioner, Revuru Venkata Asritha, was unfairly denied admission despite being entitled to an MBBS seat based on merit.
"The petitioner has lost the chance to pursue a career in medicine due to the actions of the respondent-University. Although she was eligible for admission in 2022, accommodating her now is not possible as two academic years have already passed," observed the court.
Background of the Case
Revuru Venkata Asritha, a 19-year-old aspirant from Nellore, appeared for NEET (UG-2022) and applied for admission under the NCC Female Open Category. She held a B-Certificate with Grade A from the 10(A) Naval Unit, NCC Nellore.
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Seats were available under this category in Sri Venkateswara Medical College, Narayana Medical College, and Padmavathi Medical College. However, despite having a higher NEET and NCC ranking, she was denied admission to Narayana Medical College. Instead, the seat was allotted to another candidate—Respondent No. 4—who had a lower rank both in NEET and the NCC category.
University's Response and Court's Findings
YSR University defended its decision, stating that one Ms. Jakkala Jahnavi (from the BC-D/NCC category) had been allotted an MBBS seat at Narayana Medical College in the first round. However, in a later round, she was shifted to Sri Venkateswara Medical College. The University claimed that as Jahnavi vacated her seat, it was reallocated to the next candidate in the BC-D/NCC category, which was Respondent No. 4.
The University justified its actions by citing Government Order (GO) 159 (2020), which states that a vacated reserved seat must be filled by another candidate from the same category.
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However, the High Court questioned the University’s claim and asked for documents proving that Ms. Jakkala Jahnavi was officially allotted a seat in Narayana Medical College before her transfer.
"If such a letter of allotment is not produced, it shall be presumed that Ms. Jakkala Jahnavi was never allotted a seat in Narayana Medical College. The subsequent allotment of the seat to Respondent No. 4 would then be considered illegal," stated the court.
Despite multiple opportunities and adjournments, the University failed to provide any such documentation.
Upon reviewing the case, the High Court concluded that:
- The University could not prove that Ms. Jakkala Jahnavi had ever been allotted a seat in Narayana Medical College.
- The seat meant for the NCC Female Open Category was wrongly allocated to a candidate from the BC-D/NCC category.
- The petitioner lost her MBBS seat and career opportunity due to the University's error.
"In such circumstances, the allotment of the seat to Respondent No. 4, who was lower in merit, instead of the petitioner, was illegal," ruled the court.
Recognizing the student's lost opportunity, the High Court awarded her ₹7 lakh in damages, to be paid by YSR University within two months of receiving the order. Additionally, the University was ordered to pay ₹25,000 as costs.
Case title: Revuru Venkata Asritha vs. State of AP
Counsel for petitioner: G. Priyanka representing V.V. Satish
Counsel for respondents: Tata Venkata Sridevi, Standing Counsel for Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences, GP for higher education, G. Ramesh Babu, Rosedar S.R.A, Deputy Solicitor General of India.
