In a landmark decision on January 29, 2025, the Supreme Court of India ruled that domicile-based reservations for postgraduate (PG) medical course admissions are unconstitutional, as they infringe upon the Right to Equality enshrined in Article 14 of the Constitution. The three-judge bench, comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy, Sudhanshu Dhulia, and S.V.N. Bhatti, emphasized that admissions to PG medical courses should be strictly merit-based.
Justice Dhulia, delivering the judgment, stated,
"We are all domiciled in the territory of India. There is nothing like a provincial or state domicile. There is only one domicile. We are all residents of India. We have the right to choose residence anywhere in India and to carry out trade and profession anywhere in the country. The Constitution also gives us the right to choose admission in educational institutions across India."
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The court acknowledged that while certain reservations based on residence might be permissible at the undergraduate (MBBS) level, extending such reservations to PG medical courses is impermissible. The judgment highlighted the critical need for specialized doctors and asserted that residence-based reservations at higher levels would violate Article 14.
Importantly, the bench clarified that this ruling will not affect domicile-based reservations that have already been granted. This decision originated from a 2019 reference by a two-judge bench concerning appeals against a Punjab and Haryana High Court verdict on PG admissions at the Government Medical College and Hospital in Chandigarh.
Case Title : TANVI BEHL v. SHREY GOEL AND ORS |
C.A. No. 9289/2019
