T.N. govt. to file review petition against SC verdict on residence-based quota in PG medical courses

The Tamil Nadu government will soon file a review petition against the Supreme Court (SC) ruling that residence-based reservation in postgraduate (PG) medical courses was “unconstitutionally impermissible,” after consulting legal experts.

The Tamil Nadu government will soon file a review petition against the Supreme Court (SC) ruling that residence-based reservation in postgraduate (PG) medical courses was “unconstitutionally impermissible,” after consulting legal experts, Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said on Thursday (January 30, 2025).

“Tamil Nadu implements 69% reservation. It reserves 50% of the seats for students who are native to the State or were born in the State. State quota is necessary to ensure social justice. If this judgment is implemented, it will affect the State’s rights as well as the internal reservation implemented here,” he told reporters.

The Minister pointed out that Tamil Nadu has one of the best health infrastructure in the country. “It accounts for a high number of MD, MS, MDS, DM, and MCh seats. In PG courses (MD/MS/Diploma), we have a total of 2,294 seats. Of this, 50% seats have been reserved for students of Tamil Nadu, benefiting nearly 1,200 students,” he said.

Mr. Subramanian said that following this judgment, the State risked losing at least 1,200 seats in PG admissions in the coming years. Already, 50% of seats are allotted for All India Quota (AIQ), and students from other States are studying in Tamil Nadu, he noted.

He added that this ruling would not impact the PG admissions this year. “We will hold consultations with legal experts and take steps to ensure that the State’s rights are not affected. A review petition will be filed against this ruling on behalf of the Tamil Nadu government soon,” he said.

In undergraduate medical admissions, 15% of the seats were allotted for AIQ, while it was 50% in postgraduation. “In 2020, the Union government took away 50% of seats reserved for the State in super speciality courses, following which all seats — 100% — went to the AIQ. We filed a case immediately. We got back the 50% reservation in 2022, thereby restoring the rights of our in-service doctors.”

This ruling, he added, would have a huge impact on the 69% reservation implemented in the State and would affect private colleges and minority institutions as well. “It is the State government that spends on creating the infrastructure for PG medical courses. We cannot accept this judgment.” he said.