
The Supreme Court today, Wednesday, January 29, ruled that domicile-based reservations in postgraduate (PG) medical courses are unconstitutional, striking them down for violating Article 14 of the Constitution. This was stated in a report by Hindustan Times.
The landmark judgment sets a crucial precedent, making it clear that admissions to PG medical courses under state quotas must be determined solely on merit through the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
“Residence-based reservation in PG medical courses is clearly violative of Article 14 of the Constitution,” stated a three-judge bench comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy, Sudhanshu Dhulia, and SVN Bhatti.
The bench firmly held that state-imposed domicile requirements for PG medical admissions undermine the constitutional principle of equality and cannot be upheld.
“We are all domiciles 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,” the bench observed, stressing that Article 19 grants every citizen the right to reside, work, and pursue a profession anywhere in the country.
The court further ruled that the Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to seek admission to educational institutions across India, and imposing domicile-based restrictions at the PG level contradicts this fundamental principle.
While recognising that domicile-based reservations may be allowed in undergraduate (MBBS) admissions, the bench categorically ruled that extending such policies to PG medical programmes — where expertise and specialisation are paramount — would be unconstitutional.
“Considering the importance of specialised doctors in PG medical courses, reservation in higher levels on the basis of residence would be violative of Article 14 of the Constitution,” Justice Dhulia read from the verdict.
Although the court invalidated domicile quotas for future PG medical admissions, it provided relief to students who have already completed or are currently pursuing their PG medical education under such provisions.
“This judgment will not affect the domicile reservation already granted. Students who are undergoing PG courses and those who have already passed out from such residence category will not be affected,” the bench clarified while ruling on a batch of petitions linked to admissions at Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh.
In 2019, a two-judge Supreme Court bench, in Dr Tanvi Behl (SV) VS Shrey Goel & Others, had considered appeals against a Punjab and Haryana High Court ruling that had struck down domicile-based reservations in PG medical admissions as unconstitutional.
Given the significance of the issue — especially since Chandigarh has only one medical college — the two-judge bench had referred the matter to a larger bench for a definitive ruling. The three-judge bench has now settled the matter, ensuring that PG medical admissions remain strictly merit-based and that no state can impose domicile-based barriers.