Supreme Court Directs Chandigarh Admin To Provide 3% OBC Reservation In Education For 2025-26

The Supreme Court yesterday (July 30) directed the Chandigarh Administration to provide for 3% OBC reservation in educational seats for the Academic Year 2025-26.

This was after the Union Government told the Court that the enactment for providing OBC reservation in the Union Territory of Chandigarh would be notified within a period of one week.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and comprising Justice K Vinod Chandran and Justice NV Anjaria was hearing a special leave petition challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court's refusal to quash the admission prospectus of the Government Medical College, Chandigarh, for not providing reservations to OBCs in admission to MBBS.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati informed the Court that bench that in the first year of the academic year 2025-26, 3% reservation would be provided initially for the OBC students. This will be subsequently increased in a "staggered manner" till it reaches 27 in the 6th year.

Taking note of this statement, the Court ordered :

"We direct the Administrator, Union Territory of Chandigarh to provide for 3% reservation for the Academic Year 2025-26, which will be increased in the staggered manner till it reaches 27%."

The bench clarified that the reservation would be applicable to the counselling process from the 2025-26 academic year.

"We clarify that the reservation would be applicable wherever the admission process has not yet commenced i.e. the counselling has not yet started and wherever the admission process is complete, the reservation would be provided from the Academic Year 2026-27."

Last week, by order dated July 22, the Court had warned the Chandigarh Administration of consequences on its failure to implement the 27% quota on Other Backwards Classes ("OBC") in educational institutions within a week.

On July 22, on being informed by Bhati that the Central Government has already approved the proposal for providing 27% reservation to OBC students, the bench observed: "When the Union of India has approved of the policy, we see no reason as to why it should not be implemented forthwith by the Chandigarh Administration. We grant a week's time from today to comply with the recommendations of the Central Government and make necessary amendments to the Rules."

"Needless to state that pursuant to such a decision the prospectus for admission to all the courses within the jurisdiction of Chandigarh Administration would provide for such a reservation," the Court had added in its order passed on July 22.

The Court will hear the matter next week for compliance.

Case Details: DHRUVI YADAV v. UNION OF INDIA AND ORS.|SLP(C) No. 20072/2019

Click Here To Read Order