Chhattisgarh High Court has just shaken up the rules for PG medical admissions in the state. In a big move, the court struck down two major parts of the Chhattisgarh Medical Post Graduate Admission Rules, 2025—rules that gave an edge to MBBS grads from local colleges. Now, admission to PG medical seats in Chhattisgarh comes down to one thing: merit. Where you completed your studies or where you’re from doesn’t actually matter anymore.
So, what did the judges actually throw out?
Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Bibhu Datta Guru took a close look at Rule 11(a) and 11(b). These two rules basically locked all state-quota PG seats for students who finished their MBBS in Chhattisgarh. The judges called this set-up illogical and partial. According to bench(judgrd), it goes against Article 14 of the Indian Constitution, which promises equality to everyone.
Why did the court take such a strong stand?
They leaned on a Supreme Court judgment—Dr. Tanvi Behl v. Shrey Goel—which makes it clear: you can’t give preference for PG medical courses based on someone’s state of residence or where they studied. For PG courses, merit has to be the main yardstick. These programs call for serious training and skills, so lowering the bar for certain groups just doesn’t cut it. The court warned that relaxing standards for local candidates could hurt the overall quality of future medical specialists.
The case itself was brought by Dr. Samriddhi Dubey, a Chhattisgarh resident who had studied MBBS outside the state. Under the 2025 rules, she and others like her—despite clearing NEET-PG—would’ve been shut out from the state quota completely. The court saw this as a clear barrier for deserving candidates.
What does this mean to aspirants?
Right now, all NEET-PG qualified applicants, no matter where they completed their MBBS from, they can compete for Chhattisgarh’s state-quota PG seats. Those who studied outside the state, who were earlier sidelined, are back in the running. The competition will get tougher now that the “locals only” wall is down. For medical colleges and establishments who were handling admission process, this means they had to rewriting merit lists and change the whole process to match the court’s decision.
Why does any of this matter?
This verdict puts merit front and centre in PG medical admissions across India, as the law intends. It stops states from creating rules that shut out equally qualified candidates just because they have studied in somewhere else. In the bigger picture, it pushes for fairness and transparency in medical education, making sure the best people get the right training—no matter where they’re from.