Plea in Telangana High Court questions all MBBS seats for locals

Hyderabad: A petition has been filed before the Telangana High Court challenging the validity of Government Order (GO) 72 issued on July 3 that allocates all MBBS seats under the 'competent authority quota' in medical colleges established after June 2, 2014, to students from Telangana, and excluding those from Andhra Pradesh.

The division bench comprising Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili and Justice Namavarapu Rajeswara Rao on Tuesday heard the petition on lunch motion. Petitioner Potabattuni Sai Siri Lochana of Vijayawada contended that the GO was highly arbitrary, irregular, and in violation of Section 95 and other provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.

The petitioner argued that the order infringed upon Articles 14 and 21 of the Indian Constitution. The reservation policy was seen as discriminatory.

The petitioner said that the unilateral decision taken by the Telangana government showed a complete disregard for the principles of fairness, equality, and merit. It denied students, like the petitioner, an equal opportunity to pursue their chosen profession based on their hard work and academic performance.

Additional Advocate General (AAG) J. Ramachandra Rao, representing the state government, requested a day's time to respond to the petition following which the court adjourned the matter to Wednesday.