Hyderabad: The Telangana high court on Wednesday directed state authorities and Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences to allow students, who challenged the ‘four-year study in Telangana’ requirement, to apply for admissions to MBBS, BDS, and other medical courses for the 2025 academic year.The court reiterated its earlier stance that students who are domiciled in Telangana and possess a valid residence certificate from a tahsildar must be allowed to apply for admissions, even if they have not studied in the state for the preceding four years.Senior counsel B Mayur Reddy, appearing for the students, argued before a bench comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice P Sam Koshy that the university’s latest admission prospectus contradicted the high court’s previous directions. “The Supreme Court’s interim stay has expired, meaning the high court’s judgment stands,” he said.Advocate Alluri Divakar Reddy, representing some of the petitioners, informed the bench that the matter is scheduled to come up before the Supreme Court in the first week of Aug.Taking note of this, the high court directed the authorities to permit the petitioner students to fill application forms and register as residents of Telangana in accordance with the court’s earlier judgment. It also instructed that applications should not be rejected on the basis of the four-year study criterion.However, the court clarified that the entire process would be subject to the outcome of the pending cases. The next hearing is scheduled for July 30.Last year, the high court had intervened and set aside the four-year study requirement, permitting domicile students to apply based on residence certificates. However, the state govt challenged this decision in the Supreme Court. During the hearing, the state agreed to allow 134 petitioners to participate in the admissions process while seeking a stay on the high court’s broader order. The apex court granted the stay but permitted the petitioners to attend counseling.Now, a fresh batch of petitions has been filed in the high court, accusing the state and the university of reintroducing the four-year norm through a notification issued on July 15, 2025, despite the Supreme Court’s stay having lapsed.
