Telangana’s domicile rules in medical admissions: SC to hear pleas on June 2

Apex court bench hearing appeal against High Court verdict; to hear nine pleas, including one filed by the State government

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday deferred to June 2 a hearing on pleas against a High Court verdict holding that the State’s permanent residents cannot be denied benefits of admissions in medical colleges merely because they lived elsewhere.

A bench comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih said it will hear the nine pleas, including the one filed by the Telangana government, during the ‘partial working days’, the new name of court summer vacation.

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The State government, by the Telangana Medical and Dental Colleges Admission (Admission into MBBS & BDS Courses) Rules, 2017, as amended in 2024, mandated that only those who have studied for four years up to Class 12 in the State will be entitled to admissions in the medical and dental colleges under the State quota.

The bench, on September 30 last year, had observed that Telangana has a “legitimate interest” in pressing for domicile certificates in granting admissions in medical colleges even as it asked the State government whether it can put at abeyance its domicile policy for the current academic year.

The top court is hearing an appeal against the Telangana High Court verdict holding that the State’s permanent residents cannot be denied the benefit of admission in the medical colleges merely because they lived outside and did not study Classes 9, 10, 11 and 12 at schools in the state.

Prior to this, the SC bench had stayed the high court order that permanent residents or those domiciled in the state cannot be denied the benefit of admission to medical colleges merely because of their study or residence outside Telangana.

In its appeal, the state government contended that the high court erroneously held that Rule 3(a) of the Telangana Medical and Dental Colleges Admission (Admission into MBBS & BDS Courses) Rules, 2017, as amended in 2024, to be interpreted to mean that the respondents shall be eligible to admission in the medical colleges in Telangana.

The rule mandated that students seeking admission to Telangana medical colleges must have studied for four consecutive years in the state before the qualifying exam.

“Such an order by the High Court overlooks the fact that the state of Telangana possesses the legislative competence to determine various requirements, including domicile, permanent resident status etc., to determine admission of students in the universities in the state of Telangana,” the appeal stated.

The state government said the high court judgement will mandate the state to prepare the new rules for admission which is a time-consuming process.

“After the framing of the rules, students need to apply and collect the requisite certificates from the authorities concerned. Each certificate submitted by a student needs to be verified by the Health University.

“Whereas the present rule prescribes that the students can produce their educational certificate without approaching any office or authority. If the judgement of the High Court is implemented, it will result in a huge delay in the allotment of seats to MBBS and BDS students,” the plea said.