By: Express News ServiceVadodara | November 19, 2025 08:54 PM IST 4 min readThe court also directed the student to submit an undertaking that she would serve an additional six months in rural areas as a compensation. (Source: File)Stating that a less meritorious candidate being awarded an MBBS seat of a student having a “brilliant academic career” due to a procedural mistake is “not in consonance” with the scheme of admissions, the Gujarat High Court has restored the admission of an 18-year-old aspiring doctor, who had failed to provide a mandatory document during the admission process.The court also directed the student to submit an undertaking that she would serve an additional six months in rural areas as a compensation.In an oral order on Monday, Justice Nirzar Desai of the Gujarat High Court directed the respondent medical college to restore the admission of the student, who had already paid the fees for the academic year but failed to submit an important document — the Provisional Admission Order– during the process. The counsel appearing for the petitioner, Stuti Patel, submitted to the court that the student had committed the error “upon someone’s advice” that she was not required to submit the Provisional Admission Order after payment of fees.The college in question– Narendra Modi Medical College– submitted that due to the failure of the petitioner to submit the Provisional Admission Order, her seat was “not reported and therefore, the same was shown as vacant” during the fourth round of admission that was underway during the previous court hearing. The court had directed the college to keep the seat vacant until the petition was decided.The advocate appearing for the medical college submitted that it was “hard to believe that the petitioner was advised by someone that the submission form would not be required” and objected to the petitioner’s plea for one more chance to claim the seat.Upon confirming with the advocate representing the petitioner that the college had accepted the fees paid by the petitioner and perusing the other facts placed before the court, the High Court, in its oral order, noted that the petitioner is a meritorious student. The court said that the procedural error had occurred “merely because of a misunderstanding”, as per her submission. Considering the submission that merely because of negligence the career of a bright student must not suffer, the court noted that the “same can be rectified by the court by imposing appropriate penalty upon the petitioner” and by “showing leniency” considering the “bright academic career”.Noting that the case was nothing that can be “termed as any misconduct or malpractice attributed to the petitioner.”Story continues below this ad“But at the same time, sometimes it so happens that a person who may be having a brilliant academic career has not focused on other aspects of life and therefore she has missed out the procedure, which must not prove costly to a meritorious student because ultimately, even if the rules do not permit even the slightest deviation, if her admission is cancelled, the resultant effect would be that a meritorious candidate would be deprived of admission to the MBBS course and that seat would go to a less meritorious student, which ultimately is not in consonance with the scheme of admission, which is framed by the governing body…”The court also enquired if the petitioner was willing to serve the rural areas after becoming a doctor for an additional period of six months over and above the period prescribed by the rules, to which, the petitioner informed the court that she was willing and filed an undertaking in the court for the same.The oral order of the court states, “If the rural areas of the state are going to get six months’ additional service of a qualified medical doctor, in such circumstances, by imposing a token cost of Rs 5,000/-, such procedural lacuna, which can be solely attributed to the petitioner, can be cured according to this court…”The court directed the respondent college to grant the admission to the student in the fourth round to the petitioner upon completing the procedure of the course, immediately.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Gujarat High Court