Hyderabad: Stating that persons belonging to Scheduled Castes (SCs) in Andhra Pradesh cannot seek reservations in postgraduate (PG) medical admissions in Telangana as a matter of right, the Telangana high court on Monday dismissed a batch of petitions filed by AP students and gave the green signal to the state and health university (KNRUHS) to go ahead with the PG medical admissions as per their policy.
A bench of acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara pronounced the order after hearing arguments from senior counsel B Mayur Reddy, who argued the case of AP students, and advocate general A Sudarshan Reddy, who represented Telangana.
In PG medical admissions, 50% seats are filled by the central authorities under all India quota (AIQ). Monday’s HC judgment is not applicable to them. It would be applicable only to the remaining 50% seats to be filled by the state.
The petitioners claimed that since the reservation benefits pertaining to SCs were not adversely affected in Telangana even after the bifurcation, the same should continue. The state, which extended this facility till 2023, stopped the same from June 2024 onwards in an abrupt manner, that too after the admissions process was notified. The AG countered this saying that there was a ten-year protection in the bifurcation (AP Reorganisation) Act itself which ended on June 2, 2024. When the Act itself notified it 10 years ago, there was no need for the authorities to notify it afresh, the AG added.
The bench agreed with the AG, who contended that the very purpose of the state bifurcation would be defeated if the AP castes were considered in Telangana.
Schedule 5 of the AP Reorganisation Act clearly narrates the castes that could be considered in Telangana. Even they would be considered only if the Telangana authorities issue them caste certificates, he said. He also brought to the notice of the court the judgments of constitutional benches of the apex court that gave primacy to the decisions of the state that was ‘sheltering migrants’.