SC restores state quota rule for Telangana medical colleges

The Supreme Court has upheld Telangana’s rule that restricts admission to state-quota medical and dental seats to students who completed the final four years of their schooling in the state.

Delivering its order on Sept 1, a bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran set aside a Telangana High Court verdict that had invalidated the domicile requirement.

The court said the amended 2017 admission rules framed by the state government were legally valid.

Under the provision, only students who studied continuously in Telangana from Class 9 through Class 12 are entitled to compete for MBBS and BDS seats reserved under the state quota.

The High Court had earlier ruled that permanent residents could not be excluded from admissions simply because they spent part of their schooling outside Telangana.

The state government challenged that decision before the Supreme Court.

Arguments in the case concluded in early August, and the bench had kept its ruling reserved until now.

Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi and lawyer Sravan Kumar Karnam appeared for the Telangana government. The detailed judgment will be released separately.