NTRUHS MBBS software accused of blocking reserved-category candidates from open seats

A former IAS officer and national president of the Liberation Congress Party, Vijaya Kumar, has alleged that Dr NTR University of Health Sciences (NTRUHS) is using specially designed software that puts Backward Classes (BC), Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates at a disadvantage in MBBS admissions.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Mr Vijaya Kumar said the software restricts reserved-category candidates from competing for open competition seats from the second round of counselling onwards. He alleged that eligible BC, SC and ST candidates were prevented from securing open category seats on merit, even when their ranks were better than those of candidates from other categories.

NTRUHS conducts counselling for medical admissions in Andhra Pradesh. Under the existing system, reserved-category candidates are eligible to compete for open competition seats on the basis of merit, while also being considered for seats reserved for their categories. The party leader argued that the software was not allowing this dual opportunity in later rounds.

Mr Vijaya Kumar claimed that the system favoured candidates from the OC category in subsequent counselling rounds. He said that although reserved-category candidates accounted for more than 50 per cent of the merit list, nearly 90 per cent of the candidates who entered the open category from the second round onwards were from the OC category.

He argued that the procedure violated the principles laid down in Government Orders 550 and 102, relevant Supreme Court judgments and State Government directives. According to him, these recognise the eligibility of candidates from all categories for open competition seats.

The Liberation Congress Party leader alleged that the software allowed reserved-category candidates to upgrade their colleges but stopped them from upgrading their admission category in later rounds. He cited the example of a BC candidate who secured a reserved-category seat at Guntur Medical College in the first round. According to Mr Vijaya Kumar, the candidate should have been able to seek admission to a better college while retaining the opportunity to compete for an open category seat on merit.

He further alleged that the software automatically rearranged college preferences when candidates added new options, affecting their chances of category upgradation. He claimed that all candidates admitted under the open category in the Sri Venkateswara University (SVU) region were from the OC category. In the Andhra University (AU) region, he said, only a few BCD candidates entered the open category through within-college upgradation.

Mr Vijaya Kumar estimated that around 60 to 70 eligible candidates from reserved communities lost admission opportunities because of the alleged restrictions. He demanded that the counselling process be corrected and that eligible candidates be given the benefit of open competition seats as per the rules.

The president of the Andhra Pradesh Medical Parents Association, Ala Venkateswarlu, demanded immediate action against the officials responsible for developing the software. The association has been raising concerns about the counselling process.

The allegations centre on the design and operation of the counselling software used for seat allotment and upgrades. The report did not include an immediate response from NTRUHS to the specific claims made by the party and the parents’ association.