What has been held the Supreme Court the case of A.I.I.M.S. Students’ Union v. A.I.I.M.S.?

The Supreme Court in A.I.I.M.S. Students’ Union v. A.I.I.M.S., has given its powerful support to the test of merit over that of reservation for admission to post-graduate medical courses. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences situated at Delhi is a premier medical institution in India. It runs several post graduate courses. For admission to these courses, the Institute holds an All India Entrance Examination. The Institute followed a rule of reserving 40 % seats in these courses for its medical graduates irrespective of their performance in the entrance examination. This resulted in internal students with low marks at the entrance examination being admitted at the cost of other students with higher marks. Accordingly, the rule was challenged and the Supreme Court quashed it.

The Court rule: “Such a reservation based on institutional continuity in the absence of any relevant evidence in justification thereof is unconstitutional and voilative of Article 14 of the Constitution and has therefore to be struck down”. The Court also pointed out that institutional reservation is not supported by the Constitution or constitutional principles.