By Barsha Misra

Copyright medicaldialogues

Hyderabad: Granting interim relief to a student, the Telangana High Court recently directed the Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS) to provisionally consider her as a local candidate for the ongoing MBBS and BDS counselling for the academic year 2025-2026.She was excluded because her father, a native of Telangana, worked as an assistant professor at a central university in Bidar, Karnataka. Due to this, the student pursued her education outside the State of Telangana.However, when the matter reached the High Court, the bench granted interim relief to the petitioner and mentioned in the order, “…purely as an interim measure, let the petitioner be also considered for the ongoing counselling treating the petitioner as a local candidate.”Also Read: HC asks KNRUHS to consider MBBS aspirant’s plea for admission via B-categoryAs per the latest media report by the Indian Express, the dispute regarding the matter centres on the recently amended Rule 3 of the Telangana Medical and Dental Colleges Admissions Rules, 2017. While the amendment on September 8, 2025, granted exceptions to the children of state government employees posted outside Telangana, similar benefits were not given to students whose parents worked for the Central Government.Referring to this rule, the counsel for the petitioner, Alluri Divakar Reddy, argued that this exclusion was arbitrary and discriminatory. While considering the matter, the HC bench observed that an identical matter challenging the exclusion of government employees from the local candidate category is already pending and a similar interim direction was granted in that case. Accordingly, applying the principle of parity, the court extended the same relief to the petitioner in this case as well.”Given the said fact that in identical set of facts, this Court has admitted writ petition where challenge is to the said Rule and have also granted interim protection applying the principles of parity, the petitioner also deserved for the similar benefit…,” ordered the bench.However, the bench further clarified that the admission, if granted, would remain subject to the final outcome of the present plea and the previously filed petition, which is pending.Meanwhile, the counsel for KNRUHS, T Sharath, accepted the notice on behalf of the respondents and sought time to file a counter-affidavit. The bench also directed the counsel for issuing a necessary telephonic message to the university to act immediately on the interim direction, provided the petitioner meets all other requisites under the admission guidelines.The matter has been listed to be heard along with WP No. 27511 of 2025.Also Read: NEET PG: Telangana HC allows OCI cardholder to register under NRI quota