Published 13:16 IST, January 29th 2025
Supreme Court Cancels Domicile Reservation In PG Medical Seats
The Supreme Court on Wednesday declared domicile-based reservation for postgraduate (PG) medical courses unconstitutional.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday declared domicile-based reservation for postgraduate (PG) medical courses unconstitutional, stressing that it violated the right to equality under Article 14 of the Constitution. A three-judge bench ruled that admissions to PG medical courses should be made strictly based on merit, reinforcing that residency or state-based reservations have no place in the higher education system for specialized medical courses.
The bench, while clarifying that the ruling would not affect reservations already granted by states, emphasized that the concept of "domicile" is not consistent with the Constitution’s provisions. “We are all domiciles in the territory of India. There is nothing like a provincial or state domicile. We have the right to choose our residence anywhere in India and pursue education and professions anywhere in the country,” the court stated.
The ruling came as the Court was hearing appeals related to the Punjab and Haryana High Court's 2019 judgment, which had also invalidated domicile-based reservations for PG medical admissions at the Government Medical College and Hospital in Chandigarh.
The Supreme Court pointed out that while residence-based reservations could be applicable in some cases for undergraduate MBBS courses, the importance of specialized education in PG medical programs made such reservations inappropriate and unconstitutional. “The benefit of reservation in education for those residing in certain areas can be given only in MBBS courses in some cases, but in PG medical courses, reservation based on residence is clearly violative of Article 14,” the Court explained.
Updated 14:27 IST, January 29th 2025