Supreme Court Upholds Telangana’s 4-year domicile rule for medical admissions

The Supreme Court set aside the Telangana High Court’s order reading down the State’s domicile rule requiring candidates to have studied or resided in Telangana for four consecutive years to qualify for medical college admission under the domicile quota.

A bench led by CJI BR Gavai upheld the rule as neither exclusionary nor arbitrary, noting the 2017 admission rules and their 2024 amendment allow exceptions for candidates whose parents were employed outside the State in defence or public sector roles.

The Court emphasised the need for clear residence definitions to avoid disputes and affirmed the rule’s constitutional validity.

[State of Telangana & Ors v Kalluri Naga Narasimha Abhiram & Ors]