SC directs Chandigarh Administration to give 3% quota to OBCs in educational institutions from 2025-26

The Supreme Court has directed the Chandigarh Administration to give 3 per cent reservation to Other Backward Classes (OBC) candidates in educational institutions in the academic year 2025-26.

The order came from a Bench led by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai after Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati submitted that “the enactment for providing reservation in the Union Territory of Chandigarh would be notified within a period of one week from today.”

Bhati further told the Bench that in the first year i.e. for the academic year 2025-26, 3 per cent reservation would be provided initially for the OBC candidates, which will be increased in a staggered manner till it reaches 27 per cent in the sixth year.

The Bench was hearing a 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.

In view of the ASG’s statement, the Bench directed the Administrator, Union Territory of Chandigarh to provide for 3 per cent reservation for the Academic Year 2025-26, which will be increased in the staggered manner till it reaches 27 per cent.

“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,” the top court said in its July 30 order.

“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,” the Bench had said on July 22.

“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," it had said.

Chandigarh