Despite Supreme Court orders, NEET 2025 disabled candidates face disqualification as medical boards ignore guidelines, highlighting lack of sensitivity, training, and systemic failure in disability assessments.
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NEW DELHI: As the NEET 2025 counselling process begins, thousands of aspiring medical students are filled with hope and anticipation. But for many disabled NEET 2025 aspirants, who dream of becoming doctor are facing a big challenge.
Despite qualifying, numerous candidates are being unfairly disqualified by medical boards that continue to follow outdated assessment methods, ignoring clear Supreme Court directions. This blog highlights the systemic barriers, lack of sensitivity, and the urgent need for reform in the evaluation of disabled candidates in India’s medical admission process.
On July 19, 2025, interim guidelines were issued emphasizing that the actual ability of a candidate, not the percentage of disability, should be the focus of assessment. Yet, medical boards are still functioning as if nothing has changed.
Candidates allege that boards are stuck in the past, assessing physical disabilities by forcing candidates to walk, climb stairs, or stand unaided, regardless of whether these functions are relevant to becoming a doctor.
One wheelchair-bound candidate shared how he was asked to perform seven physically strenuous tasks, while another, missing a few fingers, was rejected by a Tamil Nadu board but accepted in Kerala under the All India Quota, a glaring inconsistency.
The Supreme Court had also ordered that each state and union territory must have at least one medical board to reduce the logistical burden on disabled aspirants. Yet, only 16 centres exist across 11 states, forcing candidates to travel long distances, incurring huge costs for travel, food, and accommodation, for something as basic as a mandatory evaluation.
Dr. Satendra Singh, founder of Doctors with Disabilities: Agents of Change, reveals a deeper concern: a lack of empathy and understanding among board members.
He cited a disturbing instance where a candidate was dismissively labelled as a “wheelchair-bound patient” by a Chennai board.
“When you treat a candidate as a patient, how can you ever assess their ability?”
he asked.
The Supreme Court had explicitly ordered that:
- Every board must include a doctor with a disability
- Board members must be trained by experts and doctors with disabilities
None of these directives have been implemented.
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Adding to the insult, the National Medical Commission (NMC) had promised in court to rename the boards from “Disability Assessment Boards” to “Ability Assessment Boards”, a symbolic yet significant shift in narrative and approach.
But even this minimal change hasn’t been reflected in the new guidelines.
With NEET 2025 counselling already underway since July 21, and systemic reforms nowhere in sight, disabled candidates are now left with no choice but to approach the courts for justice.
But not everyone can afford the lengthy, expensive, and emotionally draining legal battles, Dr. Singh emphasized.
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