India, Nov. 17 -- A medical student has approached the Bombay High Court challenging a rule that bars candidates who secured seats in the first three Centralised Admission Process (CAP) rounds from participating in the stray vacancy round (Round 4)-even if they never took admission. The petition argues that the restriction blocks meritorious students from upgrading to better colleges, while lower-scoring candidates who failed to secure seats earlier are now eligible for newly opened vacancies in top institutions.

The student filed the plea in early November, seeking an additional CAP round or a re-allotment of Round 3. During the second hearing, justices Ravindra Ghuge and Ashwin Bhobe highlighted the seriousness of the issue and allowed...