The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has stayed a provision of the Uttar Pradesh Government Order dated September 1, 2026, concerning reservation in four government medical colleges at Ambedkar Nagar, Kannauj, Jalaun and Saharanpur. The Court also directed the Additional Chief Secretary, Medical Education, to file a personal affidavit explaining how the order was issued despite earlier court directions.
The order was passed by a Division Bench comprising Justice Alok Mathur and Justice Amitabh Kumar Rai in Sachin Singh and Another v. State of U.P. and 3 Others, Writ-C No. 9943 of 2026.
Background
The petitioners appeared in NEET-UG 2026 and sought admission to MBBS courses through the Uttar Pradesh state counselling process. Their grievance concerned the reservation structure prescribed for the four medical colleges.
Under the September 1 Government Order, out of 85 seats in each college, 62 seats were reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates, five for Scheduled Tribe candidates, 11 for Other Backward Classes candidates and seven for unreserved candidates.
The petitioners argued that the arrangement exceeded the reservation limits prescribed under the Uttar Pradesh Admission to Educational Institutions (Reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes) Act, 2006.
The High Court had previously considered a similar reservation arrangement in Sabra Ahmad v. State of U.P. and Others. On August 25, 2025, the Single Judge held that reservation beyond the statutory limits could not be justified and directed fresh filling of seats according to the 2006 Act.
In the subsequent appeal, the Division Bench recorded the State Government's undertaking that the statutory reservation framework would be implemented from the next academic session, 2026-27. The Bench noted the statutory figures as 21% for Scheduled Castes, 2% for Scheduled Tribes and 27% for Other Backward Classes.
The present Bench noted that despite the earlier judgment, Division Bench order and undertaking, the State issued the September 1, 2026 Government Order with an enhanced reservation structure.
The Court observed:
"The impugned Government Order is clearly in the teeth of the directions issued by the learned Single Judge and the Division Bench as well as the undertaking furnished by the State Government before this Court."
The Court further noted that the State's reliance on the Special Component Plan had already been considered and rejected in the earlier litigation.
The High Court stayed Clause 6(क)(ii) of the September 1, 2026 Government Order until further orders. It permitted the respondents to proceed with admissions only in accordance with the reservation prescribed under the 2006 Act.
The Court also directed the Additional Chief Secretary, Medical Education, Government of Uttar Pradesh, to file a personal affidavit within ten days explaining how the impugned order came to be passed.
The question of initiating contempt proceedings was left for consideration after the affidavit is filed. The matter has been listed for October 12, 2026.
Case Details
Case Title: Sachin Singh and Another v. State of U.P. and 3 Others
Case Number: Writ-C No. 9943 of 2026
Bench:
- Justice Alok Mathur
- Justice Amitabh Kumar Rai
Decision Date: September 16, 2026
