AJAY Vs. EMPLOYEES STATE INSURANCE CORPORATION

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner is the ward of an Insured Person ('Ward of IP') within the meaning of Employees' State Insurance Act, 1948.

(2.) The petitioner applied for participation in the NEET UG 2024, for obtaining admission to MBBS courses conducted by medical colleges across the country. Some of these medical colleges are run by the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC). Dependant 'Ward of IP' are entitled to a preferential quota for admission into MBBS courses provide by such medical and dental colleges, subject to qualifying in the NEET UG on merit.

(3.) The ESIC has restricted the entitlement of reservation to dependent male 'Ward of IP' to candidates who had yet to attain the age of 21 years by 10/4/2024. The petitioner is aggrieved thereby. He complains that, by virtue of fixing of 10/4/2024 as the date by which a dependent male 'Ward of IP' would have had to be less than 21 years of age, the petitioner has become disentitled to the reservation available to 'Ward of IP', as per the policy of the ESIC, as he crossed the age of 21 years before 10/4/2024.