Orissa HC Quashes Medical Board Report Excluding NEET-UG Candidate From Disability Quota

The Orissa High Court has granted relief to a NEET-UG 2026 candidate with β Thalassemia Trait after a Medical Board found her functionally not disabled and denied her disability quota eligibility. A Division Bench held that the assessment could not focus solely on locomotor or functional disability when Thalassemia is separately recognised as a specified disability under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. The candidate had produced a disability certificate stating that her β Thalassemia Trait was above 40%, but the Medical Board concluded that the condition did not cause functional or locomotor disability, reports Live Law.

Examining Sections 2(r) and 2(zc) of the Act, the Court observed that a person with at least 40% of a specified disability can fall within the definition of a person with benchmark disability, subject to certification. It held that different disability categories must be assessed independently and one category cannot be imposed as a condition for another. The Court therefore set aside the medical assessment report and directed the authorities to constitute a fresh Medical Assessment Board. The new Board has been asked to assess the candidate’s disability percentage and determine whether she meets the eligibility criteria for benefits under the Act.