10 Lakh Compensation to Medical Student for Admission Denial Under Sports Quota

A medical student who represented India in the Asian Youth Chess Championship 2018 and won a medal was compensated with 10 lakh rupees for being denied admission to a medical seat under the Sports quota by the Karnataka State Government. The candidate had been wrongly categorised in the P-V category instead of P-I.

While categorizing the candidate as P-V, the state did not consider the winning certificate issued by the Asian Youth Chess Championships in April 2018 since the participation was on invitation and did not represent the country. The court observed that since there was no other mechanism shown for selection in chess tournaments to represent the state or the country, the contention that candidates selected by the All-India Chess Federation would represent the country had to be accepted.

In addition, a Circular dated June 23, 2023, issued by the State Government, provided that consideration would be given to the athlete for a period of five years from the 8th to the 12th standard with a cut-off date between June 1, 2018 and May 31, 2023. The candidate’s participation and consequent eligibility were dismissed owing to this cut-off date. However, the court observed that the reliance placed on the cut-off date was not sustainable since it was brought in without any basis and did not cite any statutory provision under which such an exercise could be undertaken. If the prescription of a cut-off date after the period of five years, as contemplated, were accepted, the same would allow the change of the rules of the game after it starts, which was not permissible.

Therefore, the participation counted as a win in a Super-A game under Schedule II to Rule 2006, and the candidate was found eligible to be categorized as P-I instead of P-V. However, since allowing the candidate admission under the sports quota would disturb the already concluded admissions, the court directed the state to provide a compensation of 10 lakhs for being denied the opportunity to be admitted as a P-I candidate. The court noted that the denial had a cascading effect on her career because of the arbitrary exercise and the wrong interpretations made by the State Government.