The big picture: The Supreme Court of India has ruled against domicile-based reservations for postgraduate (PG) medical admissions, deeming them unconstitutional.
Why it matters: This decision impacts how medical postgraduate seats are allocated, emphasizing merit over state residency, potentially reshaping medical education across India.
What happened:
- Ruling: A three-judge bench, comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy, Sudhanshu Dhulia, and SVN Bhatti, declared domicile quotas for PG medical admissions violate Article 14 of the Constitution, which ensures equality before the law.
- Criteria: Admissions must now be based solely on merit via the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) scores for state quotas.
- Exceptions: The ruling does not affect students already admitted or currently studying under domicile quotas.
Between the lines:
- Domicile Debate: While some domicile-based reservations are allowed for MBBS admissions, the court found no justification for this at the PG level, citing the specialized nature of postgraduate medical education.
- Merit vs. Reservation: The court emphasized that all Indian citizens are domiciled within India, challenging the validity of state-specific domicile for educational purposes.
What they're saying:
- The judgment highlights the need for a merit-based system for PG medical education to ensure the best distribution of specialized medical professionals across the country.
The bottom line: This landmark decision promotes meritocracy in medical education, potentially affecting state policies on education and healthcare workforce distribution
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