SC upholds merit over domicile, scraps state-based reservation for PG medical seats

The Supreme Court has overturned domain-based seat reservations for postgraduate medical programs within the state quota, ruling that they violate Article 14 of the Constitution.

This decision is significant as it ensures that admission to postgraduate medical programs will be based solely on merit, determined by the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) scores, within the quotas allocated to different states.

“As citizens and residents of India, we have the right to choose residence anywhere. The Constitution also grants us the right to seek admission in educational institutions across India,” said a bench consisting of Justices Hrishikesh Roy, Sudhanshu Dhulia, and SVN Bhatti.

“We are all domiciles in the territory of India. There is no such thing as a provincial or state domicile. There is only one domicile: that of India. We have the right to choose residence anywhere in India and to carry out trade and profession throughout the country,” the court added.

The court also stated, “The Constitution gives us the right to seek admission in educational institutions across India.”

The bench agreed that reservations may be proposed for residents of a specific state, but only for undergraduate courses.

"Considering the importance of specialized doctors, residence-based reservation in higher-level courses would violate Article 14," the court explained.

However, the court clarified that domicile-based reservations already granted would not be affected by this ruling, nor would students who had already earned their degrees under similar selection criteria.

This case had originally been heard by a two-judge bench following a 2019 Punjab and Haryana High Court order, which had declared domicile-based reservations for postgraduate medical courses unconstitutional.

However, the court referred the matter to a three-judge bench after recognizing the gravity of the issue.