The Orissa High Court has stepped in to reassess the disability status of a student who appeared for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) claiming benefits under the persons with disabilities category. The court directed that her case be reviewed afresh after her initial application, which cited thalassemia as her disability, was turned down by the examining authorities.
The petitioner had appeared for NEET as a person with disability and submitted a medical certificate indicating her disability was above the 40 percent threshold required under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act. Following her application, she was referred to a designated medical board for formal assessment. However, the board did not recognize thalassemia as sufficient to qualify for the disability concession, leading to the rejection of her claim.
Thalassemia is a hereditary blood disorder characterized by abnormal hemoglobin production. While the condition varies in severity, it has been a subject of ongoing debate regarding whether it meets the legal benchmark of 40 percent disability required for affirmative action benefits in competitive examinations like NEET. Medical professionals and patient advocacy groups have frequently argued that the severity of thalassemia, particularly in cases requiring regular blood transfusions or specialized treatment, warrants recognition as a disability.
The High Court's intervention suggests that judicial scrutiny may be warranted on whether the medical board properly evaluated the clinical severity of the petitioner's condition or applied the assessment criteria in a rigid manner. Legal experts note that courts increasingly expect medical boards to consider individual health circumstances rather than applying blanket exclusions to certain conditions.
The case has drawn attention from medical associations and disability rights organizations across the country, who view it as part of a broader pattern where students with chronic illnesses face barriers in accessing reservation benefits. The outcome could set a precedent for how thalassemia and similar blood disorders are treated in future disability certification processes for national-level entrance exams.
