Chandigarh PG Medical Admissions: HC Upholds Reallocation of UT Quota Seats to AIQ

Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court recently upheld the decision of the Chandigarh administration to reallocate vacant Union Territory (UT) quota seats in postgraduate (PG) medical courses to the All India Quota (AIQ) seats.

Challenging the move, some of the PG medical aspirants had argued that the move violated the judgment of the Supreme Court. However, a Division bench of Justices Mahabir Singh Sindhu and H.S. Grewal dismissed the plea.

On June 3, the UT administration issued a notification that diverted unfilled UT Pool seats at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Chandigarh, to the AIQ pool. 

As per the latest media report by the Indian Express, the petitioners had contended that these seats should have gone to the Institutional Preference (IP) category under the state quota for local candidates.

The counsel for the petitioners, Senior Advocate Gurminder Singh, submitted before the Court, "While taking a complete U-turn… without any authority of law and also in complete violation of Shrey Goel’s judgment, respondent No. 2 has issued the impugned public notice… wherein vacant U.T. Pool seats have been diverted to A.I.Q. against [the] maximum limit of 50%."

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However, the Indian Express has reported that the Court found no merit in the claim and ruled that the Supreme Court had already settled the matter of residence-based reservation in the PG medical courses.

At this outset, Justice Sindhu observed, "This Court is not persuaded with the arguments raised by learned senior counsel… the legal issue has already been adjudicated."

The legal challenge stems from the Supreme Court's January 29 order holding domicile-based reservation for PG medical admissions as unconstitutional.  Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that earlier this year, the Supreme Court held that domicile-based reservations for postgraduate medical admission could not be allowed as it violated Article 14 of the Constitution.

In this order, the top court bench had offered clarifications regarding the domicile-based reservations in postgraduate medical admissions and held that there would be no domicile State quota and admissions would be based on 50 per cent all-India and 50 per cent Institutional (IP) quota.

After this, the UT administration in April said that the vacant UT pool seats would be moved to the IP category. However, a fresh notice was issued on June 3, reassigning those seats to the AIQ instead. This resulted in the present legal challenge.

It was argued by the petitioners that the administration's about-turn violated both the letter and spirit of the Supreme Court ruling and exceeded the 50% limit allowed for the AIQ seat.

However, the HC bench observed that the seat matrix- 75 for AIQ and 76 for State Quota (plus four EWS)- remained within permissible limits, and the reallocation aligned with the Supreme Court's broader emphasis on merit-based admissions.

Accordingly, the HC bench concluded in its order dated June 10, "Consequently, there is no option, except to dismiss the petition."

Also Read: HC directs PG Medical Admissions at GMCH 32 Chandigarh as per Supreme Court order