HC dismisses plea to switch MBBS admission from Punjab quota to Chandigarh pool
Court says candidate ‘cannot blow hot and cold’ after declaring residence in Punjab
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The court noted that the Clause 6 of the Chandigarh MBBS prospectus required all candidates to give an undertaking that they had “not opted and claimed benefit of residence in any other state/UT other than Chandigarh after the declaration of NEET result”. (EXpress Photo)The Punjab and Haryana High Court has rejected a writ petition seeking permission for a medical aspirant to withdraw from the Punjab state quota and apply instead under the Chandigarh pool for MBBS admissions in the 2025 session.
A division bench of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor dismissed the plea filed by Nikunj Bansal, who had sought directions to reopen the online application portal of Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh, and extend the deadline for submission.
Bansal had already applied for admission to Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Faridkot, under the Punjab quota, showing his residence as Punjab. He now wanted to switch to Chandigarh’s pool.
Prospectus clause decisive
The court noted that the Clause 6 of the Chandigarh MBBS prospectus required all candidates to give an undertaking that they had “not opted and claimed benefit of residence in any other state/UT other than Chandigarh after the declaration of NEET result”.
“Undisputedly, the petitioner has already made an application for admission to the MBBS course in Baba Farid University… showing his residence at Punjab,” the bench observed, adding that this made him ineligible under Clause 6.
The judges held that neither the prospectus condition was challenged, nor any illegality was shown in it. “Perusal of the prospectus of both respondents number 5 and 6 makes it abundantly clear that one person cannot claim for state quota in two different states,” the justices observed.
‘Cannot blow hot and cold’
Rejecting the plea, the court said: “The petitioner cannot be permitted to blow hot and cold in one breath. Having taken a conscious decision to claim his residence in the state of Punjab and having applied for admission in such a category, the petitioner would clearly be stopped from taking a contrary stand now”.
It emphasised that the last date for applying in Chandigarh was July 24 and “there was nothing to stop the petitioner to make such an application if he so intended”.
No link to OBC quota case
Bansal’s lawyers had relied on Supreme Court orders in a pending matter regarding introduction of OBC reservation in Chandigarh’s admissions. The apex court, on July 22 and July 30, had directed the UT to provide 3 per cent OBC reservation in 2025–2026, to be raised to 27 per cent in a staggered manner over six years.
However, the bench said the petitioner did not belong to the OBC category and was from the General category, so “what orders are passed in respect of reservation for OBC category… would not constitute any cause for the petitioner to approach this court” seeking alteration of the admission process.
Finding “no reason to interfere,” the bench dismissed the writ petition and disposed of pending applications.
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