Teen Takes on Top Court: How a 19-Year-Old NEET Aspirant from MP Argued His Own Case in the Supreme Court — and Won an MBBS Seat

A young man, 19, who was a NEET aspirant and a non-working youth (NEET) from Madhya Pradesh represented his own case in the Supreme Court of India and as a result, MBBS admission under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota was granted to him.

During the conversation with TOI Atharva Chaturvedi said, "I didn't argue emotionally; I just presented the law as it is".

NEET Aspirant secures MBBS Seat via EWS Quota after Legal Battle

Atharva cleared NEET 202425 with a score of 530 out of 720 marks in the EWS category. But even after fulfilling all the criteria for admission, he was refused entry because the EWS reservation policy was not implemented correctly in private medical colleges in Madhya Pradesh.

The constitution provides for 10 percent reservation to EWS category candidates in private non, minority institutions, but the policy has not been implemented in the state's private medical colleges.

Being firm in his decision to take the complaint forward, Atharva decided to personally argue the case instead of hiring a senior advocate.

Legal Argument Supported by 103rd Constitutional Amendment

In front of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Atharva argued that the 103rd Constitutional Amendment, especially Articles 15(6) and 16(6), which allow for 10% reservation for the Economically Weaker Sections in the educational institutions and public employment, be taken into consideration.

The High Court directed the state to increase seats and implement the EWS quota in private medical colleges within a year.

Nevertheless, the policy was not put into practice in the following admission cycle.

Article 142 Relief Granted by Supreme Court

When Atharva was rejected admission once more in spite of being at 164 rank EWS in NEET 202526, he took the matter to the Supreme Court through an online petition.

On 10 February, the panel chaired by Chief Justice Surya Kant was just about ending the session for the day when Atharva, after asking for ten minutes, got the opportunity to argue his case. The bench permitted him to argue.

Invoking its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court noted that the petitioner was denied admission due to factors that were out of his control and that the state authorities had failed to comply with previous judicial directions.

The court ordered the National Medical Commission and the Madhya Pradesh government to make sure that he is admitted to an MBBS program in a private medical college and warned that if the matter is delayed any further, a deserving candidate would be irrevocably harmed.

Self-Representation and Virtual Hearing

Speaking to TOI, Atharva explained that he was initially nervous, but after carefully going through the earlier orders, he became confident that law was on his side.

His father, advocate Manoj Chaturvedi, helped him decipher the earlier rulings but deciding to argue the case himself was a conscious decision. Doing court visits in Delhi would have been financially and logistically exhausting and as such, he decided to file the petition online and attend the hearing virtually.

Court observers were impressed by how respectfully and convincingly Atharva dealt with the issues of constitutional intent, reservation policy, and administrative lapses, a degree of accuracy that even seasoned lawyers hardly ever achieve.

Although suggestions were made to Atharva that the courtroom was perhaps opening up a path for him to pursue a legal career, he is still dead set on his medical doctor goal.