In Brief
In this group of post-graduate medical admission appeals, the Supreme Court held that while private medical colleges have discretion to offer or withdraw an NRI (Non-Resident Indian) quota in any given year, they must exercise this discretion fairly. The colleges in Rajasthan withdrew the NRI quota mid-process in April 2020, after candidates had applied and submitted documents believing the quota would exist. The Court found this timing prejudicial but upheld the colleges' right to merge NRI seats into management quota. It directed a special merit-based counselling round for affected NRI candidates to remedy the unfair impact of the late withdrawal. The Court emphasized that procedural fairness—requiring reasonable notice of quota changes—is essential, even in the context of private institutions' autonomy in admissions.
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