Pearl Milind Colvacar, an acclaimed international sailor who has won laurels for Goa and India, was denied a medical seat at the Goa Medical College under the sports quota for the NEET (UG) 2025 academic year. She had to fight tooth and nail to get her due by representing her case at the High Court of Bombay at Goa, which on August 25 quashed the Goa government’s decision to allot her a seat under the Children of Freedom Fighters category. The High Court ruled that the introduction of a sports quota in MBBS and BDS midway through the admission process was invalid. Pearl argued that since 2009 the quota had existed under the Goa Sports Policy and was incorporated before the publication of the merit list and the first round of counselling in 2025. Now, the Supreme Court has directed the government to grant her a medical seat under the sports quota. If the sports quota has existed for 16 years, why was she denied a seat in the first instance? The time, money and effort of Ms Pearl, her family, and the courts could have been saved. We encourage sportspersons, but when it comes to giving them their dues, hesitation remains.
