Supreme Court refuses to interfere in Nagaland central pool MBBS quota row
Supreme Court of India
New Delhi: While hearing a plea about eligibility for central pool MBBS seats, the Supreme Court has refused to interfere with a Gauhati High Court decision that upheld the Nagaland government's policy.
Dismissing the special leave petition filed by an MBBS aspirant seeking exclusion from the list of candidates eligible under the state quota for central pool medical seats, a bench of Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe said it was "not inclined to interfere" with the judgment passed by the High Court. The court also disposed of the connected applications.
The dispute centred on eligibility for MBBS seats allotted to Nagaland under the central pool. The petitioner is the ward of a Colonel commanding the 1 Nagaland Battalion NCC, who had challenged her exclusion from the list of candidates considered under the State quota for these seats.
Also read- 12 New Medical Colleges likely to come up in Uttar Pradesh
When she approached the Gauhati High Court, a single-judge bench on August 14, 2025, quashed a September 9, 2021, notification issued by the Nagaland government. The court held that the eligibility criteria prescribed by the State were arbitrary and not consistent with the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, reports Eastern Mirror.
However, a Division Bench of the High Court, in its October 23, 2025 judgment, set aside that order. The bench led by Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury ruled that the “deficient state” quota and the “defence personnel” quota under the central pool are separate and cannot be mixed.
The High Court observed that as a ward of defence personnel, she could not seek consideration under the State quota in addition to the defence quota. It also noted the Centre’s clarification that Nagaland receives 42 MBBS and four BDS seats annually under the central pool, while a separate 42 MBBS and three BDS seats are reserved for the Ministry of Defence.
Holding that the State’s 2021 notification was neither arbitrary nor discriminatory, the Division Bench upheld the Nagaland government’s policy.
With the Supreme Court now declining to interfere, the High Court’s decision remains in force.
Also read- Supreme court orders stipend to FMGs on par with Indian MBBS graduates
