In Brief
Tamil Nadu sought to set aside or challenge Regulation 9 of the MCI Post-Graduate Medical Education Regulations 2000, which restricts in-service doctors' entry to post-graduate medical degree courses to incentive marks rather than a separate admission channel. Tamil Nadu had historically reserved 50% of such seats for in-service candidates. The Supreme Court held that Regulation 9 is a self-contained code within the Union's exclusive domain under Entry 66 of the Constitution (coordination of higher education standards), which overrides States' concurrent authority under Entry 25. Reserving seats for in-service candidates in degree courses is not permissible; the regulation permits only incentive marks for such candidates. The Court refused interim relief, finding that allowing the state's policy would usurp central regulatory authority.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.