KEA Ramps Up Scrutiny of PwD MBBS Seats Amid Allegations of Fraudulent Admissions
Karnataka- After receiving complaints regarding the authenticity of three students who secured MBBS seats through the physically handicapped quota last year, the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has decided to strengthen the scrutiny process for such admissions.
The complaint was filed by Kumar Moodukonaje of the National Pre-University Students, Parents and Teachers Association. Mithesh had alleged irregularities in the allocation of MBBS seats for the differently-abled (PwD) category in 2024. He raised issues about three cases. In one case, he alleged that the candidate did not declare any kind of disability in his school records or Class 11 admission form. In the other two cases, the candidates were not listed in the medical verification call list, yet they were included in the final verified list.
The complaint was sent to multiple agencies and authorities, including the National Medical Commission (NMC), the Directorate of Medical Education (DME), the Governor and the Minister of Medical Education. Following this, it sought to investigate the allocation of MBBS seats to candidates for compliance with the norms prescribed under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 and NMC guidelines.
Meanwhile, speaking to the TOI, KEA executive director H Prasanna said that no one had raised any objection during the MBBS admission process. "However, we have requested the DME to confirm the complaint," he said.
Along with this, KEA decided to enhance the verification process for this category. Instead of the existing two, KEA requested DME to send at least four teams of doctors for the process. To this, the executive director said, "We have asked senior doctors to be present for verification."
This year, 874 students are expected to appear for the medical test. Last year, 834 students had claimed the quota. 534 students had appeared for medical verification and 331 were found eligible. However, the verification will take place from June 3 to 6.
