The issue of the local status of the candidates for admission to post graduate medical colleges has resurfaced as Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) admissions progress for the academic year 2025-26 by the Kaloji Narayana University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS).
The university has rejected applications of many candidates citing reasons for being non-locals, leaving their future in uncertainty, according to the report by The New Indian Express.
The candidates who have completed their Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) outside Telangana as well as those who have completed their schooling from Class 6 or Class 7 up to intermediate in Andhra Pradesh have been declared as non-locals by the KNRUHS and rejected their applications for PG admission in state dental colleges.
On the other hand, the students who have completed their BDS degree from colleges in the AP under the NTR University of Health Sciences (NTRUHS) are unable to apply for admission under local quota in AP either as the university has termed them non-local.
The TG students who belong to reserved categories are considered as open category (OC) candidates by NTRUHS in AP, thus forcing them to compete in the OC and not the reserved category.
Ashish Pawar, an SC (Scheduled Caste) candidate from Nizamabad, who completed his schooling and intermediate in Telangana and BDS from the Government Dental College, Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh said he was not eligible to apply for the PG admission under KNRUHS as he was termed as non-local and was also not eligible to apply nder the SC category in NTRUHS as he was a resident of Telangana.
As the candidates from reserved categories are forced to compete in the open category, their chances of getting a seat become less and they will also be forced to pay the fee applicable in the open category (category B) than the one in the reservation category (category A).
Another candidate Anand Kishore, who belongs to ST category, completed his BDS in Guntur, but studied till intermediate in Nirmal also failed to register for the PG MDS counselling in Telangana as he was classified as non-local for having studied in AP.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Anand said, "I am not eligible to apply for admission in Telangana as the KNRUHS has declared my candidature as non-local. I cleared the NEET and secured 106th rank. NTRUHS said that I can apply as the local candidate in the category only if I have the ST caste certificate issued from Andhra Pradesh. But I have my caste certificate from Telangana as I am a local resident here. However, now if I want to continue with my PG degree, I will be forced to take admission in the OC category in AP and pay a huge fee, which is beyond my means. The chances are anyway low because my ranking will be very low under the OC category."
Another candidate, Revathi said she studied from class 6 to 10 in AP, but completed her BDS in Hyderabad, and her application was rejected by both the states terming her non-local.
KNRUHS Vice-chancellor Prof PV Nanda Kumar Reddy told TNIE that there was ambiguity in the issue as the matter was still pending in the Supreme Court.
All India Dental Students Association (AIDSA) has demanded that KNRUHS must provide a clarification on the local/non-local status eligibility for Telangana students who completed their BDS in AP, "They should be allowed to register and appear for PG MDS counselling in Telangana under appropriate reservation categories as per their domicile," the association said.
