APHC010607532025 IN THE HIGH COURT OF ANDHRA PRADESH AT AMARAVATI WRIT PETITION NO: 31326 of 2025 Bench Sr.No:-40 [3446] Krishnamsetty Praneetha ...Petitioner Vs. The State of Andhra Pradesh and others ...Respondent(s) ********** Advocate for Petitioner: Ms. Avanija Inuganti Advocates for Respondents: GP for Sports, Mr. G. Sai Narayana Rao, GP for Medical Health FW, Mrs. Tata Venkata Sridevi, Standing Counsel For Dr.NTR University of Health Sciences, Mr. Turaga Sai Surya – R6 CORAM : THE CHIEF JUSTICE DHIRAJ SINGH THAKUR SRI JUSTICE R. RAGHUNANDAN RAO DATE : 13th November, 2025. Per DHIRAJ SINGH THAKUR, CJ (Oral): The petitioner claims that she was considered in the sports category and allotted priority No.91 for the purposes of admission in the MBBS Course for the session 2025-26, instead of priority No.53 which ought to have been allotted to her. It is stated that, had the respondents - sports authorities considered her participation in the Senior National Championship held in the year 2024-25, she could have been allotted priority No.53. 2. The stand of the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh is that she was rightly allotted priority No.91 and her participation in Senior Nationals 2 HCJ & RRRJ WP_31326_2025 conducted in the year 2024-25 was not considered for the reason that her backup certificate was not in order, in the sense that the backup certificate which reflected her participation in the State-Level Championship in the event of Fencing was conducted by an Association i.e. Fencing Association of Andhra Pradesh – respondent No.6, when it had failed to get its recognition renewed for the said year. It is not out of place here to mention that the Fencing Association of Andhra Pradesh had been recognized in the year 2019 and continued to be so recognized till 2024, where after it did not apply for renewal of recognition with the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh. 3. According to the learned counsel for the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh, there is a check list of conditions which are required to be fulfilled by an Association according to the National Sports Development Code which have to be considered while renewing the recognition to a sports Association. 4. In the instant case, it is stated that since the Association had not at all applied for renewal, therefore, the petitioner could not have been considered on account of her participation at the State Level. 5. Learned counsel for the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh also placed reliance upon Government Order bearing G.O.Rt.No.272, dated 19.09.2019, which states that ‘Sports Associations which are not recognized by the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh shall be ineligible for issuing sports certificates for purposes of obtaining government sports quotas for education and employment admissions.’ 3 HCJ & RRRJ WP_31326_2025 6. In the present case, it can be seen that while it may be true that the Fencing Association of Andhra Pradesh had not sought renewal for the year 2024-25, yet, the achievement of the petitioner at the State Level cannot be disregarded, particularly in view of the fact that she was permitted to participate at the Senior Fencing National Championship 2024-25. 7. The credit and the priority number which is allotted to a candidate in the instant case would be based upon her participation at the Senior Fencing National Championship and not at the State Championship Level, for which no credit is given. 8. The only purpose which is served by requiring a candidate to produce the backup certificate is to ensure that the certificate of participation produced by a candidate at the National Level is genuine and that the National Level participation could be justified only if a candidate had also participated at the State Level. It is only for that reason alone that in our opinion the conditions are fixed for producing the backup certificates. 9. In the instant case, notwithstanding the fact that the recognition of the association which had been recognized continuously from the year 2019 was not renewed for the year 2024-25 and the petitioner played at the State Level as also at the National Level, should not, in our opinion, be read against the petitioner for depriving of her achievement of participation even at the National Level. 4 HCJ & RRRJ WP_31326_2025 10. We, therefore, direct the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh to consider the case of the petitioner under the sports quota by considering the certificate produced by her for the Senior National Championship for the year 2024-25. Although doubts have been expressed by learned counsel for the Sports Authority regarding the genuineness of the certificate inasmuch as the same does not contain any serial number as is otherwise contained in other certificates, which candidates produced, yet in our opinion that issue may be kept open and the authenticity and genuineness of the said certificate can also be verified subsequently and in case it is ultimately found that the certificate was not genuine or it was forged, the admission granted to the petitioner would be liable to be cancelled. However, since the entire admission process has to come to closure by 14.11.2025, the process cannot be delayed any further. 11. This writ petition is, accordingly, disposed of. No order as to costs. Pending miscellaneous applications, if any, shall stand closed. DHIRAJ SINGH THAKUR, CJ. R. RAGHUNANDAN RAO, J. SSN