Supreme Court has recently decided to abolish domicile reservation in medical admissions. A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy, Sudhanshu Dhulia, and SVN Bhatti has struck down this reservation, terming it a violation of Article 14 of the Constitution. After this decision, now students will not be able to avail this type of reservation for medical admission.
Earlier, the Supreme Court has considered the provisions of reservation for local residents in medical colleges by the states in various cases. For example, in a case in Maharashtra, the Supreme Court had given relief to a candidate who was denied admission under the state quota in NEET-UG 2023. The court had said that if the parents of the candidate are residents of Maharashtra and are employed in the Central Government or its undertakings, then the candidate will be entitled to a seat under the state quota regardless of the place of posting.
However, recently the Supreme Court, while hearing a petition filed by the state of Telangana, stayed the decision of the Telangana High Court, which removed the condition of four years of continuous study for local quota in MBBS/BDS courses.
These decisions make it clear that the Supreme Court is constantly monitoring the constitutionality and fairness of reservation policies in medical admissions, so that equal opportunities can be ensured for all students.
Schools closed on 28, 29, and 30 January in UP; District Magistrate’s order