In Brief
A meritorious student was wrongfully denied admission to an MBBS course in the Sports and Games quota due to administrative delays and lapses by authorities, despite meeting all qualifying criteria. The High Court, while finding the student entitled to priority, denied admission citing an expired time deadline but awarded ₹5 lakh compensation. The Supreme Court allowed the appeal, holding that monetary compensation cannot be the sole remedy for a wrongfully denied fundamental right to education. Where a student is meritorious, approaches court promptly with no fault of their own, and authorities have breached rules, substantive relief—directing admission—must be granted rather than mere compensation. The Court directed reconsideration of the restrictive Jasmine Kaur precedent by a larger bench.
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