HYDERABAD: Finding fault with officials of the NTR University of Health Sciences and the Sports Authority of AP, the Hyderabad High Court on Friday stayed MBBS admissions under the sports quota for the current year.


The court said the whimsical manner in which the authorities are seeking to reserve MBBS seats under the sports quota has no constitutional sanction. The bench of Justice V Ramasubramanian and Justice Anis pronounced this order after hearing scores of petitions filed by students seeking MBBS seats citing their achievements in various little-known games like softball and fencing.


The AP government earlier this year wanted to include six new games such as tennikoit, powerlifting, netball, throwball, se pak takraw (kick volleyball) and boxing in the sports quota.


Since only one week is left to complete the ad mission formaliti es for MBBS cour ses, admissions under the sports quota for the year is all set to be scrapped by the high court. In fact, the HC directed authorities to fill all the sports quota seats as per the Eamcet rank and academic performance. The bench, however, directed the authorities to allot seats to four students under sports quota as they have obtained orders to this effect from the Supreme Court. For the remaining seats, admission should be made in tune with the merit rules and consider students hailing from the socially weaker sections. But not under any sports quota.