New Delhi, Sep 25: The Delhi High Court has held that Medical Assessment Boards assessing candidates for admission to the MBBS course cannot interfere with or reduce the percentage of disability recorded in a valid Unique Disability Identity (UDID) card, and must confine themselves to assessing the candidate’s functional competency.

A single-judge Bench of Justice Jasmeet Singh made the observation while allowing two petitions filed by NEET-UG 2026 candidates, whose disability percentages were reduced by Medical Assessment Boards during the admission process, resulting in their removal from the Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) category.

The High Court set aside the assessment and eligibility certificates issued in both cases and directed the authorities to permit the petitioners to participate in the third round of NEET-UG 2026 counselling and the mop-up round, if any, according to their rank and entitlement under the PwBD category, treating their disabilities as recorded in their respective UDID cards.

One of the petitioners, an 18-year-old candidate with permanent visual disability, possessed a Disability Certificate and UDID card recording 60 per cent permanent disability. His NEET-UG 2026 admit card also recorded his disability as blindness and granted him compensatory time. He secured 398 out of 720 marks in the examination and had a PwBD rank of 409. However, after appearing before the Medical Assessment Board at Lady Hardinge Medical College, his disability was assessed at 30 per cent, although the Board certified him as eligible to pursue the MBBS course, capable of undertaking it and not posing a threat to patients.

The Appellate Medical PwBD Assessment Board at Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital subsequently concurred with the 30 per cent assessment. His candidature was thereafter shifted from the PwBD category to the General category, resulting in his exclusion from the first round of counselling under the PwBD category.

The other petitioner, Aashiya, had a permanent locomotor disability of 61 per cent recorded in her Disability Certificate and UDID card. She had secured 363 out of 720 marks in NEET-UG 2026, with a PwBD rank of 638. Her disability was re-quantified at 16 per cent by the Primary Disability Assessment Medical Board, and the appellate board subsequently confirmed the same, rendering her ineligible for PwBD reservation. She too could not participate in the first round of counselling under the category.

The petitioners contended that the UDID card is the primary document for establishing the extent of disability and that the Medical Assessment Boards were required only to undertake a functional assessment and did not have the power to reassess the percentage of disability.

On the other hand, the respondent authorities relied on the Guidelines on Assessment of Persons with Benchmark Disabilities for Admission to the MBBS Course, 2026, contending that the Medical Assessment Boards were empowered to determine the candidates’ functional competency.

In its judgment, the High Court observed that the Guidelines specifically provide that the UDID card “shall serve as the primary documentary evidence of the existence, nature and extent of the specified disability” and that while the Medical Assessment Board has to independently determine the candidate’s functional competency, eligibility cannot be based solely on the category or percentage recorded in the UDID card.

Justice Singh held that the provisions “do not empower the Board to revisit the percentage of disability recorded in the UDID card”.

“A combined reading of these provisions shows that eligibility for reservation under the PwBD category is determined by the benchmark disability prescribed under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. The UDID card issued under the Act is therefore the primary document for that purpose,” the High Court said.

It further observed that the Medical Assessment Board is empowered to assess whether a candidate can complete the MBBS curriculum and subsequently undertake the profession of medicine, but “it cannot interfere with the disability recorded in the UDID card”.

The High Court also referred to Sections 56, 57 and 59 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, stating that the statutory framework provides for certification of disability by designated authorities and an appellate remedy against such certification.

“If any of the respondents is aggrieved by the UDID card, the remedy is to appeal against the decision of the certifying authority. It is not open to a Medical Assessment Board to disregard or reduce the recorded percentage at the stage of admission,” the judgment held.

Referring to the Supreme Court’s judgment in Om Rathod vs. Director General of Health Services, the High Court reiterated that disability assessment boards must focus on functional competence rather than merely quantifying disability.

The Supreme Court had observed that “Disability Assessment Boards must focus on the functional competence of persons with disabilities and not merely quantify the disability”.

The Delhi High Court said that permitting Medical Assessment Boards to alter the disability percentage recorded in a valid UDID card would render it a “mere paper formality” and “meaningless”, which was not the mandate of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act.

Setting aside the assessments and eligibility certificates issued by the Medical Assessment Boards in both cases, the High Court directed the authorities to permit the petitioners to participate in the third round of NEET-UG 2026 counselling and the mop-up round, if any, treating their disabilities as recorded in their respective UDID cards.

However, it declined the petitioners’ request to create supernumerary seats, observing that the first two rounds of counselling had already concluded and seats had been allotted. Allowing the writ petitions, Justice Singh observed that the petitioners could still be accommodated in the third and mop-up rounds, distinguishing their case from those where counselling had already concluded with no remaining round.

Ahmedabad, Sep 25: A Ugandan national was arrested at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) after the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 981 grams of cocaine allegedly concealed inside the telescopic handle and plastic support parts of his trolley bag, officials said on Friday.

Acting on specific intelligence developed by the DRI’s Ahmedabad Zonal Unit, officers intercepted the passenger after he arrived at SVPIA on Qatar Airways flight QR-534 on September 24.

The passenger had allegedly arrived with narcotic substances concealed in his baggage.

According to the DRI, the passenger initially denied carrying any contraband.

A detailed examination of his trolley bag, however, led officers to detect white powdery substances packed in polythene bags and “cleverly” concealed inside the bag’s telescopic handle and plastic support components.

The recovered substance weighed 981 grams and tested positive for cocaine, following which it was seized under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. The passenger was arrested under the Act.

Further investigation is underway to establish the source of the cocaine, its intended destination and the wider network, if any, involved in the alleged smuggling attempt.

The seizure comes days after the DRI reported a series of intelligence-led operations across the country in which more than 845 kg of narcotic and psychotropic substances were seized and 15 people arrested.

Among the cases was the seizure of around 5.8 kg of cocaine from an Indian passenger arriving at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport from Dubai via Doha on September 15. The cocaine was found in nine packets inside his checked-in baggage.

In another recent case, the DRI seized 2.659 kg of cocaine worth an estimated Rs 13.295 crore in two separate operations at Mumbai airport in May.

One passenger arriving from Addis Ababa was found carrying 1.575 kg of liquid cocaine in eight pouches, while an African male passenger was found to have ingested capsules containing 1.084 kg of cocaine. Both were arrested under the NDPS Act.

New Delhi, Sep 25: Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has reportedly changed its approach towards fugitive underworld figure Dawood Ibrahim, with greater emphasis now being placed on keeping him secure and moving him to a location near Karachi port.

Intelligence officials said the move is aimed at protecting the narcotics network linked to him while reducing the risk of international scrutiny falling on Islamabad.

He is considered a key figure in the syndicate that has been operating a narcotics smuggling network in India for several years.

For the Pakistani spy agency, which has supported Dawood Ibrahim over the years, the current situation is proving increasingly difficult. The agency needs funds to sustain terror groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

Intelligence inputs suggest that this has increased the pressure on the network to expand the narcotics trade substantially.

An official said the ISI would have wanted Dawood Ibrahim to use his network to significantly expand narcotics smuggling operations. “However, the focus now is more on creating escape routes, taking care of his health and also ensuring his safety,” the official said.

While Dawood is reportedly suffering from several health problems, he is alive and continues to remain in Karachi. Following Operation Sindoor in May last year, the ISI is believed to have stepped up his security and moved him between different locations to avoid detection.

“He is currently living near a port in Karachi, and this location was chosen so that he could make a quick escape in case of an Indian operation that would look to target him,” the official added.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that the reason he is being kept at a location from where he could make a quick escape is that if he is killed in an operation, then it would become amply clear that Pakistan has been housing him.

Islamabad has over the years vehemently denied his presence in Pakistan.

While Operation Sindoor inflicted significant damage on Pakistan’s terror infrastructure, it also altered the operating environment for the Dawood syndicate. Dawood, who had largely remained in the security of his Karachi residence, was forced to change his movements and operating pattern following the operation.

“Today when it comes to Dawood, the ISI is focusing more on ensuring his protection rather than using him for operations,” the IB official added.

The Narendra Modi government’s intensified crackdown on drugs has also disrupted the ISI’s plans to a considerable extent. The arrest of Dawood’s close aide, Salim Dola, has unsettled the syndicate’s international operations and disrupted established supply chains. In India, enforcement agencies are continuing their relentless pursuit of narcotics networks and cartels.

Another official said that in such a situation, Dawood becomes extremely handy for the ISI. There are the likes of Anees Ibrahim, Chhota Shakeel and Haji Salim to run the show. But Dawood is a cult figure for the syndicate, and with him not to be seen, many of the operatives have developed low morale, the official said.

The ISI would look for ways to ramp up narcotics smuggling in India. There is a major push that is being made through Punjab. However, the ISI would want the trade to thrive in all parts of the country, as raising funds from only Punjab operations is not sufficient to nurture the various terror groups in Pakistan, officials say.

In addition to Dawood’s poor health and security issues, there is also a succession battle within the syndicate. Shakeel feels he is far more useful and has contributed much more than the rest for the syndicate.

However, the family members are rooting for Dawood’s brother Anees Ibrahim to take charge, officials also point out.

Another official said that the ISI has multiple problems when it comes to the Dawood syndicate.

It cannot afford so many problems, especially with this syndicate at a time when it wants to raise funds in a big way through narcotics smuggling.

On the other hand, concealing his location and not letting the world know that he is in Pakistan is also important for the ISI. The country is also under close scrutiny by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and hence it becomes important to secure and cover Dawood Ibrahim, who is a key figure in terror funding, counterfeiting, and money laundering.

A weakened D-Company is good news for the Indian security agencies. Such issues would help the investigating agencies crack cases better and further weaken the Dawood network within India.

If the agencies manage to do this, a considerable amount of the narcotics smuggling problem in the country would be solved, an official said.