Allahabad High Court Quashes Special Reservation Policy in Four UP Medical Colleges
In a landmark judgment that could reshape medical admissions in Uttar Pradesh, the Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow Bench has struck down a state government order granting a special reservation quota in four government medical colleges.
The verdict, delivered by Justice Pankaj Bhatia, comes as a major relief to students and parents who had challenged the policy, claiming it violated constitutional norms and merit-based admission principles.
The order affects admissions to medical colleges located in Kannauj, Ambedkar Nagar, Jalaun, and Saharanpur, all of which had been operating under an extraordinary “special grant” arrangement that allowed them to reserve over 79% of seats for specific categories.
Excessive Reservation Declared Beyond Limits
The High Court ruled that this level of reservation was well beyond permissible limits and could not be justified, even under state-specific policies tied to funding arrangements.
According to court documents, the total intake for the four colleges was 340 MBBS seats, distributed as follows:
- Scheduled Castes (SC): 248 seats
- Scheduled Tribes (ST): 20 seats
- Other Backward Classes (OBC): 44 seats
- General Category: Just 28 seats
Effectively, this meant that in each college, 62 out of 85 seats were filled by SC students, five by ST candidates, 11 by OBC students, and only seven seats were left for General-category aspirants.
The colleges were established between 2010 and 2015 — Kannauj (2010), Ambedkar Nagar (2011), Jalaun (2013), and Saharanpur (2015) — and adopted this special reservation policy to meet conditions for receiving central funding.
However, petitioners argued that this practice was discriminatory and in clear violation of the constitutional reservation cap of 50%.
Court’s Observations and Directions
After reviewing the case, Justice Bhatia ruled that such a notification cannot stand legal scrutiny and that future admissions must follow standard reservation norms. The court has quashed the state notification and directed that admissions to these institutions be conducted strictly in accordance with constitutional guidelines.
The counselling board overseeing medical admissions has been instructed to:
- Reassess ongoing admissions to evaluate the impact of the verdict.
- Conduct a fresh review of merit lists and seat allotments if necessary.
- Consult the Medical Education Department for legal advice before issuing further instructions.
Students Left in Uncertainty
The ruling has temporarily thrown admissions into uncertainty, with several students left anxiously awaiting the outcome of ongoing counselling. Officials said the situation would become clearer after a scheduled counselling board meeting tomorrow, which will determine how to handle candidates already allotted seats under the now-invalidated policy.
Education analysts have noted that this case underscores the long-term implications of policy decisions driven by funding incentives.
While the state intended to secure central assistance for newly established colleges, the implementation of such an extreme reservation system has triggered a legal battle with serious consequences for thousands of aspiring medical students in Uttar Pradesh.
What’s Next?
The four medical colleges will now have to update their admission procedures to comply with the court’s ruling. This is expected to trigger a reshuffle of seat allocations, particularly benefiting merit-based candidates who were previously sidelined by the high reservation quotas.
For medical aspirants across the state, the next few days are critical: the counselling board’s decisions will determine whether they retain their seats under the old system or see merit lists redrawn entirely.
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