Tribal, Dalit advocacy groups in Keralam allege policy discrimination against SC, ST students in nursing admissions

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Tribal and Dalit advocacy groups have approached the Keralam government, flagging alleged systemic irregularities and discriminatory scheduling against Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) in the centralised allotment process for professional degree nursing and allied health science courses for the 2026-27 academic year.

Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha State coordinator M. Geethanandan and Adishakthi Summer School coordinator Mary Lydia have urged the Health Minister, SC/ST and Backward Classes Welfare Minister and the Director of Medical Education in formal petitions to address the alleged lapses in the ongoing process that have purportedly disenfranchised marginalised aspirants from higher-tier seat upgrades.

The controversy centres on the sequencing of seat allotments undertaken by the LBS Centre for Science and Technology in Thiruvananthapuram. After the conclusion of the ninth allotment round for B.Sc. Nursing and Allied Health courses on October 16, the agency issued an urgent notice directing SC and ST rank holders to report at LBS facilitation centres before 11 a.m. on October 17 for in-person spot allotments. The official notification apparently included a binding condition that stated that any candidate who accepted an allotment in the SC/ST spot round would be barred from participating in any subsequent admission allotments.

The candidates, who had been already admitted elsewhere, were additionally required to furnish a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from their existing colleges on short notice. Under the impression that regular centralised allotments were drawing to a close, multiple eligible candidates opted to secure seats permanently under their reserved quota, the complainants alleged.

However, the agency published a fresh notice on October 23, which announced a tenth round in the form of an online special allotment, providing candidates until 1 p.m. on October 26 to pay fees and finalise admissions.

Notably, the October 23 notice reiterated the exclusionary clause, officially shutting out all students who had taken seats in the October 17 spot round from submitting higher options in the tenth round or in any subsequent eleventh round that may follow. The community leaders lamented that opening higher-preference seats to general pools, while freezing out reserved category students who had been steered into premature spot rounds, would defeat constitutional safeguards and penalise the very candidates the quota is meant to protect.

The petition also highlighted the alleged administrative apathy regarding reporting timelines. The complainants pointed out that LBS officials scheduled deadlines across the Puja holiday period without sufficient transit time.

“In one particular incident, an ST candidate from the Kani tribal community in Thiruvananthapuram had to retrieve original certificates from an institution in Kannur on October 22 and travel the entire length of the State to register admission in another district on the exact same day. The student was forced to borrow substantial sums to hire a private taxi across districts simply to avoid forfeiting the seat,” they stated.

The petitioners demanded that the government and the LBS Directorate immediately lift the restriction that bars spot-allotment recipients from participating in subsequent rounds, and ensure that SC and ST aspirants are guaranteed the full measure of seats that are legally reserved for them.