CENTAC Puducherry’s NEET counselling rules ‘discriminatory’; Doctors with Disabilities demand revision

A group of healthcare professionals with disabilities have criticised the Puducherry government's guidelines for the upcoming NEET counselling for medical admissions, terming them “discriminatory, unlawful, and dehumanising” to persons with disabilities. Counselling is the process by which applicants who have qualified the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET UG) are assigned seats in medical colleges.

In a recent letter to K Kailashnathan, lieutenant governor and other officials in the union territory administration, Doctors with Disabilities has flagged five provisions in the information brochure for MBBS admission counselling as violative of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 as well as the rules and guidelines set by the National Medical Commission (NMC), ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) and the Supreme Court.

These include specific instructions on photographs, validity and recency of disability certificates and the degree of disability acceptable for NEET admissions. The advocacy group has sought immediate removal of these clauses from the document, released on the Puducherry directorate of higher education's Centralised Admission Committee (CENTAC) website, centacpuducherry.in.

The representation comes months after the Supreme Court (SC) granted Kabir Paharia, a medical candidate thrice rejected by medical boards for multiple missing fingers, admission to AIll India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi. The apex court has also asked NMC to revise its blanket disability norms -- which the court called unconstitutional -- seeking independent evaluation of individual candidates' abilities.

While the ministry of health and family welfare’s Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) is yet to announce the schedule for the MCC counselling, the Puducherry government has already set the July 14 deadline for application. A total of 1,229 seats across four MBBS, three BDS, one BAMS and one veterinary (BVSc & AH) colleges are available in the union territory.

CENTAC Puducherry NEET UG counselling guidelines

Doctors with Disabilities' organisation head Satendra Singh has objected to a requirement for candidates seeking admission under 5% horizontal disability category reservation to produce a full size photograph exhibiting their deformity. Calling it a "gross violation of the legal rights and constitutional dignity" of persons with disabilities (PwD), the group has pointed at the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules, 2017, which prescribe passport sized photographs showing only the face of the applicants.

This requirement, according to the doctors, "reinforces an abelist and medicalised gaze" and "objectifies the individuals by reducing them to their impairments". They asserted that it's also unscientific and unnecessary, as disability certification is already issued by competent legal authorities.

The letter also calls into question three clauses specifying the nature and extent of the disability permitted for admission. The brochure makes only the students with at least 40% locomotor, visual or severe dyslexic impairment eligible for PwD quota, while disqualifying all candidates with disability other than locomotor disability of the lower limb.

Singh said that this provision is against MoHFW and NMC norms, which do extend disability quota to other disabilities as well. He pointed at Paharia's case as well as other instances where SC has enabled admission of candidates with missing fingers, speech impairment and thalassemia.

Countering a provision limiting the PwD quota eligibility to 40%-80% locomotor disorder of lower limbs, Doctors with Disabilities has referred to a 2019 NMC notification, which provides for admitting candidates with more than 80% disability on a case-to-case basis based on functional disability.

Another clause asking for aspirants to obtain their disability certificates three months prior to submitting application has been highlighted for contravening various central government rules. "Asking somebody with permanent disability for reassessment is akin to harassment and those with temporary disability already have a validity period under their UDID [unique disability ID card]," reads the letter.