Atharva Chaturvedi is a 19 year old from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh and dreams of becoming a doctor. He cleared the NEET exam with 530 marks out of 720 and secured rank 164 in the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category. However, he did not get an MBBS seat. The reason was that the EWS quota was not properly implemented in many private medical colleges in the state.
Most students would feel helpless in such a situation. But Atharva did not give up. Instead of accepting the setback, he decided to fight for his right. And he chose to do it on his own. He approached the Supreme Court of India without hiring a lawyer. He had no legal training. He simply read the Constitution, studied court procedures, and prepared himself.
“मुझे बस 10 मिनट चाहिए” ⏳
These words did not come from a senior lawyer.
They came from a 19-year-old student — Atharva Chaturvedi — who simply wanted a fair chance to become a doctor. 🩺✨Atharva cleared NEET twice.
He scored 530 marks.
He worked hard, stayed focused, and… pic.twitter.com/WyZMqRnh73— Kungfu Pande 🇮🇳 (Parody) (@pb3060) February 18, 2026
From NEET Student to Fighting His Own Case
Before going to the Supreme Court, Atharva had moved the Madhya Pradesh High Court. He asked the court to direct the state to implement the EWS quota in private medical colleges, as required under the Constitution. The High Court did tell the state government to take action. But by the next admission cycle, nothing had changed. Once again, Atharva was left without a seat even though he had qualified on merit and had a valid EWS rank.
Not wanting to waste more time or money, he filed a petition online in the Supreme Court himself. When his case came up before a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, he stood alone in the courtroom. Senior lawyers were present for other matters, but Atharva argued his case on his own. As the judges were about to rise, he made a simple request, “My Lords, I just need 10 minutes.”
In those 10 minutes, he explained his case clearly. He referred to the 103rd Constitutional Amendment, which provides for EWS reservation. He told the court how the failure to implement the quota had cost him a medical seat despite qualifying.
Supreme Court Steps In for Atharva Chaturvedi
The judges listened carefully. The Supreme Court ruled in his favour. The court said he had been denied admission due to circumstances beyond his control. It directed the Madhya Pradesh government and the National Medical Commission to ensure that he is given a provisional MBBS seat under the EWS quota.
