Hyderabad: Fake ST certificates submitted by NEET-eligible candidates have led to the cancellation of 9 MBBS seats in Telangana. Kaloji Health University officials said 37 candidates registered for the 2026-27 academic year with certificates found to be fake.
Of the 37 candidates, 9 had already secured medical seats under the university. Officials informed the respective colleges about the cancellations and said they would act according to the admission rules.
The issue came to light after the Director of the Telangana Tribal Welfare Department submitted a report to the university on the 22nd of this month. The report sought verification of original certificates submitted by candidates registering through their NEET ranks.
Following the verification, officials identified 37 candidates in the ST quota whose certificates were found to be fake. The university subsequently declared the candidates ineligible for the ST category.
Among the affected students were Bukka Visruth of Vikarabad Government Medical College and Irukula Hemadri of Siddipet RVM Institute. Nenavath Kovida of ESIC Medical College in Hyderabad and Shankarapuram Rachana of Nova Institute were also named.
University officials also cancelled the seats of Male Saiharshini and Vadide Chandraharshini at Osmania Medical College. Kaki Nagashayana of Patancheru Rajarajeshwari Medical College, M Gayathri Chauhan of TRR Institute and Devarashetti Nihal Siddharth of Karimnagar Government Medical College were also affected.
Fake ST certificates trigger fresh verification process
The university said all 37 candidates would no longer be considered under the ST category. Instead, officials said they would be considered only under the general category.
The 9 cancelled seats will be declared vacant, according to the university. Genuine Telangana ST students will then be considered for those seats according to merit during the second round of counselling.
Meanwhile, university officials said they would strengthen certificate verification procedures. The aim is to prevent similar incidents during future medical admissions.
The verification process followed the request from the Telangana Tribal Welfare Department. Officials used the original certificates to determine the eligibility of candidates who had registered under the ST quota.
The action affects 9 students who had already obtained medical seats, while the remaining candidates among the 37 will no longer receive consideration under the ST category. The university has also informed the concerned medical colleges about the decisions.
Officials said stricter verification would be introduced to prevent the recurrence of such cases. The vacant seats will subsequently be handled through the second counselling round under the stated merit-based process.