Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Supreme Court has ordered the Goa government to allocate one medical seat under the sports quota to India’s international sailor Pearl Milind Colvalcar for admission to NEET (UG) 2025.
Colvalcar had approached the apex court after the Bombay High Court at Goa, on August 25, 2025, quashed the State government’s decision to reassign vacant seats reserved under the Children of Freedom Fighters category to eligible sportspersons under the sports quota.
A Bench comprising Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Justice Atul S. Chandurkar declined to overturn the High Court’s ruling on its merits but granted relief to Colvalcar in view of the special circumstances of the case. The Bench observed, “We are not inclined to interfere with the order passed by the High Court. However, in the facts and circumstances of the case and to do complete justice, we direct that one seat under the sports quota be adjusted from a seat that would have otherwise remained unfilled.” The court clarified that the decision shall not set a precedent.
The apex court disposed of Colvalcar’s special leave petition accordingly. Earlier, during the hearings, the Supreme Court had issued notices to the State government and other respondents.
The High Court had previously ruled that introducing a sports quota for MBBS and BDS admissions midway through the admission process was tantamount to “changing the rules of the game” and therefore invalid. However, Colvalcar contended that the sports quota was part of a policy initiated in 2009 under the Goa Sports Policy and was in place well before the publication of the merit list and the first round of counselling for NEET (UG) 2025. He had sought admission under this quota for the current academic year.
