In Brief
Om Rathod, a student with lower limb muscular dystrophy, challenged his rejection for MBBS admission despite scoring 601 marks in NEET. Medical boards quantified his disability at 80%+ and deemed him ineligible. The Supreme Court held that Disability Assessment Boards must evaluate functional competence with assistive devices, not merely quantify disability. The Court ordered a fresh assessment focusing on whether accommodations enable the candidate to meet MBBS outcomes. The Court quashed the Nagpur board's decision, allocated a supernumerary seat to the appellant, and directed the National Medical Commission to issue new guidelines incorporating the human rights model of disability, fair procedures, and inclusion of doctors with disability on assessment boards.
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