In a strongly worded judgment, the Supreme Court of India has stepped in to correct what it described as an unfair and opaque change in the MBBS admission process under the sports quota in Punjab. The Court ruled that altering eligibility rules after admissions had begun violated basic principles of fairness and transparency.
The case arose from complaints by medical aspirants who claimed that a sudden expansion of the “sports achievement” criteria unfairly pushed them down the merit list.
Background of the Case
The dispute traces back to admissions for MBBS and BDS courses for the 2024 academic session. Under the prospectus issued by Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, candidates applying under the sports quota were initially told that only achievements from Classes XI and XII would be counted.
However, on the evening of August 16, 2024, after applications had already been submitted, the University sent out an email asking candidates to submit sports achievements from any class or year. This led to the preparation of a fresh sports merit list that also counted achievements from Classes IX and X.
Divjot Sekhon and Shubhkarman Singh, both sports quota aspirants, challenged this move. They argued that the “rules of the game” were changed midway, harming candidates who had relied on the original criteria.
During the hearing, the Court examined official records and internal files produced by the Punjab government. These revealed that the policy shift followed a representation by a sports coach who had sought inclusion of earlier-class achievements.
Crucially, the Court noted that the representation failed to disclose a clear conflict of interest - the coach’s daughter stood to benefit directly from the policy change and eventually topped the revised sports merit list.
“This lack of disclosure strikes at the heart of fairness in public decision-making,” the bench observed.
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Court’s Observations
The Supreme Court reiterated a settled legal principle: once an admission process begins, eligibility criteria cannot be altered.
“The rules of selection cannot be changed midstream,” the bench said, adding that admission processes must be fully defined and transparent from the start.
The Court also found it troubling that the expanded criteria were applied only to MBBS and BDS courses, while other medical and allied courses continued to consider achievements only from Classes XI and XII.
“This selective application reflects arbitrariness,” the judges remarked.
The bench further stressed that policies framed as temporary - such as the Covid-era relaxation in 2023 - cannot be quietly converted into permanent rules without a fresh, reasoned decision.
Decision of the Court
Allowing the appeals, the Supreme Court quashed the midstream modification that expanded the sports quota criteria for the 2024 session.
However, mindful of the disruption a complete redraw of the merit list would cause, the Court limited relief to the petitioners before it. It ordered that:
- Divjot Sekhon and Shubhkarman Singh be accommodated in government medical college seats.
- The candidates who benefited from the invalid policy change be shifted to the private medical college seats earlier occupied by the petitioners.
- Fees already paid and the academic progress of all students remain unaffected.
“The unlawful benefit gained through an unfair process cannot be allowed to stand,” the Court concluded.
The appeals were accordingly allowed, with no order as to costs.
Case Title: Divjot Sekhon vs State of Punjab & Others
Case No.: Civil Appeal arising out of SLP (Civil) No. 23112 of 2024
Case Type: Civil Appeal (MBBS/BDS Admissions – Sports Quota)
Decision Date: January 6, 2026
