New Delhi, Jan 7: The Supreme Court on Tuesday reprimanded the Punjab government for adopting an “elastic” admission procedure for MBBS and BDS courses under the sports quota for the 2024 session, ruling that admission criteria cannot be changed once the process has started.
A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and Alok Aradhe observed that just as modifying recruitment norms after the process begins is forbidden, it is equally illegal for an admission process to be undefined at the outset, leaving room for authorities to alter norms midstream for personal interests or nepotism. The court emphasized that transparency is paramount to ensure fairness and prevent arbitrariness.
“The practice followed by Punjab of leaving the norms elastic, without clearly defining the policy on the zone of consideration, allows leeway for changing rules during the admission process and is inconsistent with principles of fair play,” the bench said.
The ruling came during appeals filed by Divjot Sekhon and Shubhkarman Singh challenging Punjab’s sports quota admission criteria. The court directed that both candidates be accommodated in government medical college seats.
Highlighting the state’s constitutional duty, the SC cited Article 14, stating that the State must act fairly and reasonably, and any decision must be reasoned, not arbitrary. The bench noted that hasty decisions are presumed arbitrary and cannot be condoned in law, especially for sought after courses like MBBS and BDS.
The court further clarified that while policymakers are allowed discretion, this does not justify arbitrariness or nepotism. “A policymaker may have elbow room, but that cannot translate into scope for unfairness. We find no merit in Punjab government’s contentions,” the bench said.