In Brief
This landmark case settled a constitutional dispute over whether Indian States can reserve postgraduate medical degree seats for in-service government doctors. A five-judge bench held that while the MCI Regulations 2000 lay down minimum eligibility standards, they do not prohibit States from creating a separate entry channel for in-service candidates within their State quota. The bench distinguished Entry 66 of the Union List (dealing with coordination of standards) from Entry 25 of the Concurrent List (education matters), concluding that admission procedures fall within State power. The decision rejected the narrow interpretation in Dinesh Singh Chauhan, recognizing in-service doctors as a distinct class with legitimate disadvantages and affirming States' competence to provide preferential pathways provided minimum NEET qualification marks are met. The judgment also noted the acute shortage of qualified specialists in rural areas, making the reservation policy rational and legitimate.
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