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PETITIONER: STATE OF RAJASTHAN & ANR.

       Vs.

RESPONDENT: DR. ASHOK KUMAR GUPTA & ORS.

DATE OF JUDGMENT11/10/1988

BENCH: THAKKAR, M.P. (J) BENCH: THAKKAR, M.P. (J) RAY, B.C. (J)

CITATION:  1989 AIR  177            1988 SCR  Supl. (3) 493  1989 SCC  (1)  93        JT 1988 (4)   176  1988 SCALE  (2)909  CITATOR INFO :  E&R        1989 SC1194  (16)  R          1992 SC1475  (4,5)

ACT:      Constitution   of   India,   1950-Article   14-Equality doctrine’--Ordinance  No.  278-E(d)(ii)--Of  University   of Rajasthan Ordinance-Held void--Admission to P. G. Course  in Medical   Colleges  in  Rajasthan--5%  marks   addition   to aggregate marks obtained in competitive examination in  case of students who obtain MBBS degree of Rajasthan University-- Offends ’equality doctrine’. %      Professional  Colleges--Admission  to:  Ordinance   of University   of  Rajasthan  Ordinance   No.   278-E(d)(ii)-- Admission  to  P.G. Course in the five Medical  Colleges  in State of Rajasthan--Addition of  5% marks to aggregate marks in  the  competitive  examination by  way  of  institutional preference  if candidate has obtained MBBS degree  from  the same  Medical  College  for  which  selection   sought--Held offends ‘equality doctrine’ and Constitutionally void.

HEADNOTE:     The  respondents had sought admission to  post-graduate courses  in  the  five medical colleges  affiliated  to  the Rajasthan University through a competitive examination which was common for all these  five colleges. They were not  able to secure admission in any  discipline even though they  had secured more marks as compared to the successful  candidates who  had  been  granted additional marks  on  the  basis  of Ordinance  278-E(d)(ii)  of the Ordinance of  University  of Rajasthan. Under this proviso the successful candidates were entitled to a uniform addition of 5% marks in the percentage of  aggregate marks if they  had passed the  final  M.B.B.S. examination  from the same institution for  which  selection was being made. The respondents challenged this provision as violative of the equality principle enshrined in Article  14 of   the  Constitution.  The  High  Court  struck  down   as unconstitutional  the  impugned provision embodied  in  note (d)(ii) of Ordinance 278-E.      Dismissing the appeal, it was,      HELD:  (1)  The aggregate marks for  all  subjects  put

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together is 2750. 5% of these makrs would work out to  137.5 marks. In the result, a candidate from the same college will have an advantage of 137.5 marks over candidates from  other                                                   PG NO 493                                                   PG NO 494 colleges.  In  medical  courses  where  there  is    intense competition and candidates run neck to neck so often with  a difference of a mark or two, a difference of 137.5 marks  by way of college-wise institutional preference would virtually make a mockery of the merit criteria. [498C-D]      (2)  This  factor coupled with other factors  leave  no room  for doubt  that while on the face of it  the  impugned rule  appears  to  extend or accord equal  treatment  of  5% weightage to the  students  of  each  of  the  five  Medical College, in actual operation it brings about  oppressive and obnoxious inequality. Once the veil of apparent equality  is pierced,  the ugly inequality stares one in the  eyes  which are opened to the offensive ’reality’ [502B-C]      (3)  Admission to post-graduate courses st SMS  College at Jaipur being considered as most advantageous, a candidate from  Jaipur  College will get admission in P.G.  Course  at Jaipur   in  preference  to  the  other   more   meritorious candidates merely because he passed the M.B.B.S. examination at Jaipur even though all of them secured their marks at the indentical  competitive examination to all the Colleges.  It needs  no argument that Article 14 is  seriously  shattered. [498D]      (4) What may ’appear’ to be equal treatment accorded in obeisance to the equality doctrine embodied in Article 14 of the Constitution in its application in ’reality’ may  result in denial of equality   and may accordingly be liable to  be condemned for defying the equality doctrine. [495B]      (5) Such being the position the constitutional validity of  the  impugned  rule cannot be sustained. It  has  to  be buried unceremoniously as unconstitutional being violate  of Art. 14 of the Constitution of India. [502C-D]      Nidamarti Mahesh kumar v. State of Maharashtra, AIR  80 SC 1362--(1980) 3 SCR 1302, referred to.

JUDGMENT:     CIVIL  APPELLATE  JURISDICTION:  Civil Appeal  Nos.2461- 2463 of 1987.      From  the  Judgment  and Order  dated  7.8.1987  of  the Rajasthan High Court in D.B.C. Writ Petition Nos. 1374, 1987 and 1453 of 1987.            Badri Das Sharma for the Appellants.                                                   PG NO 495      Tapas Ray and S.K. Jain for the Respondents.      The Judgment of the Court was delivered by      THAKKAR,  J.  What may ’appear’ to be  equal  treatment accorded  in obeisance to the equality doctrine embodied  in Article  14  of  the  Constitution  in  its  application  in ’reality’  may  result  in   denial  of  equality  and   may. accordingly  be  liable  to be condemned  for   defying  the equality  doctrine.  This  has   been  illustrated  by   the provision  embodied  in Ordinance No. 278-E (d)(ii)  of  the Ordinance  of  University of Rajasthan  which  provides  for uniform  addition of 5% marks to the students  applying  for admission to the post-graduate course in any one of the five Medical  Colleges provided the student has passed his  final MBBS  Examination  from the College to  which  admission  in post-graduate course is sought. The said provision has  been held   to  be  unconstitutional  and  in  our  opinion   the

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conclusion  reached  by the High Court is right  though  the reasoning  which  has  commended itself  to  this  Court  is somewhat different.      Three  Writ Petitions were instituted in the  Rajasthan High Court, (Jaipur Bench by the Writ Petitioners who sought admission   to  post-graduate  courses  in   the    Colleges affiliated  to  the Rajasthan University.  There  are   five such  Medical   Colleges   at  five  different  centres   in Rajasthan, viz Jaipur, Bikaner, Udaipur, Jodhpur and  Ajmer. It  appears  that for the purpose of securing  admission  to these  Colleges  the applicants seeking  admission  have  to appear at a competitive examination called PMG. The  passing of   this  Examination  is  a  pre-condition  for   securing admission  to the PMG course any one of the  aforesaid  five Colleges  in Rajasthan. The PMG competitive  examination  is ’common’  for  all  the five Medical  Colleges.  There   one syllabus  and  one combined examination is conducted  by  th University.  The  successful  candidates  are   entitled  to addition of 5% marks in the percentage of aggregate marks by way of institutional preference if the concerned  candidates had  passed  the final MBBS Examination.  conducted  by  the Rajasthan  University. A further addition of 5% of marks  by way of institutional preference in the sense of   preference dependent  on  the particular Medical College at  which  the concerned candidate has passed his final MBBS examination is also  provided.  It  is  this  college-based   institutional preference which has given rise to the present  controversy. Such  preference is rooted in the impugned provision  namely Ordinance 278-E(d) which deserves to be quoted:     "(d) The total marks so obtained shall be converted into                                                   PG NO 496 percentage. The percentage so obtained shall be increased as follows:      (i)  By  5 if the applicant passed the  final  M.B.B.S. Examination from the Rajasthan University.      (ii)  By  another 5 if the applicant passed  the  Final M.B.B.S.  Examination  from the same institution  for  which selections are being made."      The  Writ  Petitioners contended  that  this  provision violated  the equality principle enshrined in Article 14  of the   Constitution   of   India   and   was      accordingly unconstitutional.  It  appears that while each of  the  five Medical  Colleges in Rajasthan is  conducting  post-graduate courses  in specified specialities and  super  specialities, the Doctors who have graduated from all the Medical Colleges in  Rajasthan  by  and large  consider  admission  to  post- graduate   courses  at  SMS  College  at  Jaipur   as   most advantageous.  In  other words securing  admission  in  post graduate course at Jaipur in SMS College is considered to be achievement  and the courses at Jaipur are the  most  sought after  courses.  The  reasons underlying  this  keenness  to secure  admission  in  Jaipur  College  are   understandable inasmuch as:      (i) there are many more seats available for PG courses; and      (ii) there are many more specialities available at  the Jaipur College as compared to other Colleges;      A  Tabular statement reflecting the positions of  seats in the five Medical Colleges may best scrutinized: Subject       S.M.S.   S.N.    R.N.T.   S.P.   J.I.N.  Total               Medical Medical Medical Medical Medical               College College College College College               Jaipur  Jodhpur Udaipur Bikaner Ajmer 1.Genl. surgery   17(4)  10(2)   8(2)    8(2)   8(2)    51(12) 2. Genl. Medicines21(5) 9(2)     10(3)   10(2)  11(3)   61(15)

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3. T.B.&C.D.      2(1)  1(0)     1(0)    0(0)    (0)    4(1) 4  Skin & V.D.    2(()) 1(1)     0(0)    0(0)    0(0)   3(1)                                                   PG NO 497 5 Psychiatry      3(1)  0(0)    0(0)    11(0)   0(0)    4(1) 6. Gyne. &Obst.  18(4)  8(2)    8(2)     8(2)   8(2)   50(12) 7. Paed. Medicine11(3)  5(1)    4(1)     4(1)   4(1)   28(7) 8. Anaesthesia   11(3)  4(1)    4(1)     4(1)   4(1)   27(7) 9.Radio-Diagnosis 2(0)  2(1)    2(1)     2(1)   2(0)   10(3) 10. Radio-Therapy 1(1)  0(0)    0(0)     1(0)   0(0)    2(1) 11. E.N.T.        2(0)  1(1)    1(0)     1(0)   1(1)    6(2) 12. Opthalmology  6(1)  2(0)    2(1)     2(0)   2(1)   14(3) 13. Orthopaedics  8(2)  2(1)    2(0)     2(1)   2(0)   16(4) 14. Pathology     4(1)  1(0)    1(0)     1(1)   1(0)    8(2) 15. Microbiology  2(1)  1(0)    1(1)     1(0)   1(0)    6(2) 16. P.S.M.        2(0)  1(0)    1(0)     1(1)   1(0)    6(1) 17. Physical      1(0)  0(0)    0(0)     0(0)   0(0)    1(0)     Medicine     & Rehabilitation 18. Anatomy       1(1)  0(0)    0(0)     0(0)   0(0)    1(1) 19. Physiology    0(0)  1(0)    0(0)     0(0)   0(0)    1(0) 20. Bio-Chemistry 0(0)  0(0)    1(0)     0(0)   0(0)    1(0) 21.  Pharmocology 0(0)  0(0)    0(0)     1(0)   0(0)    1(0)                  114(28)49(12)  46(12)  47(12)  45(11) 301(75) B. DIPLOMA      I       II      III      IV     V       VI D .A.           6(1)    0       6(2)     6(1)   0       1(4) DCH.            6(2)    0       6(1)     6(2)   0       1(5) D.P.H.          6(1)    0       0        0      0       6(1) D.G.O.          6(2)    0       6(1)     (0)    0      12(3) D.M.R.D.        6(2)    0       (0)      (0)    0       6(2) Total:          30(8)   0       18(4)    12(3)  0       60(1)                                                   PG NO 498      Note:  The  figures  shown in  bracket  are  the  seats reserved  for being filled up on all India basis in the  year 1988.      The facility for the specialities from serial No. 18 to 21 i.e. Anatomy, Physiology, Bio-Chemistry and Phannacology, are   available  in  all  the  five  Medical   Colleges   in Rajasthan.  But  from the year 1988, the facility  in  these specialities will be provided by rotation.      Now it has to be realized that the aggregate marks  for all  subjects put together is 2750. 5% of these marks  would work out to 137.5 marls. In the result a candidate from  the same  College  will have an advantage of 137  5  marks  over candidates  from  other Colleges. In Medical  courses  where there  is  intense competition and candidates  run  neck  to neck  so  often  with  a difference of  a  mark  or  two.  a difference   of   137.5  marks  by   way   of   College-wise institutional preference would virtually make  a mockery  of the  merit criteria. A candidate, say from  Jaipur  College, who  secures 137.5 marks less than a candidate from  Jodhpur, Bikaner,  Udaipur or Ajmer will get admission in P..  Course at  Jaipur  in  preference to  the  other  more  meritorious candidates   merely   because   he   passed   the   M.B.B.S. ;Examination at Jaipur even though all of them secured their marks  at the identical competitive examination to  all  the Collages.  It  needs no argument that Art. 14  is  seriously shattered.      Statements  filed by the parties in this Court  further go to show      that some disciplines are available only  in particular   Colleges  and  not  in  other   Colleges.   For instance:      1.  M.D.  in Physical Medicine  and  Rehabilitation  is available only in S.M.S. College. Jaipur.      2.  T.B.  and C.D.’ is not available in  Ajmer  Medical College.

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    3.  ‘Skin  and V.D.’ is not available in   Udaipur  and Ajmer Colleges.      4. ‘Psychiatry’ is available only in Jaipur and Bikaner Colleges and not in others      5. M.D. in ’Radio therapy’ is available only in  Jaipur and Bikaner and not in other Colleges.      An  analysis  of the data reflected  in  the  aforesaid statement  and  its impact on the fortunes of  the  students                                                   PG NO 499 aspiring for the Post Graduate courses reveal:      (i) that a student passing his final degree examination in  MBBS from Jaipur would steal a march over  the  students passing  from  the  remaining  four  Colleges  for  with  5% weightage  a  student from Jaipur would have  a  far  better chance  of securing admission in a post-graduate  course  at Jaipur  inasmuch  as there are as many as 114 seats  at  the Jaipur  Medical College as compared to the number  of  seats ranging  between 45 and 49 in each of the remaining  Medical Colleges regardless of the superior merits of students  from other colleges.      (ii) a student passing his final degree examination  in M.B.B.S.  from Jaipur aspiring for admission in P.G.  course would have a far better chance of securing admission in  the subject  of  his choice vis-a-vis students  from  all  other Colleges inasmuch as in each subject the number of seats  in the  Jaipur  College  is much larger than  in  any  of   the remaining Colleges regardless of his superior merits.      (iii)  a candidate from any of the four Colleges  other than  Jaipur  College would have practically  no  chance  of securing admission in certain disciplines such as:      (a) Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation      (b) Anatomy, (subject to rotation after 1988)      (c) Radio therapy and      (d) Pychiatry etc. regardless of his superior merits.    (iv) A candidate with  special aptitude for a  particular discipline  would  not get admission in PG  course  in  that discipline  unless  he  belongs to   Collage  in  which  the particular   discipline  is  available  regardless  of   his superior merits.     The  merit position in relation to the  students   would also  undergo  a vast change as is revealed by  the  tabular statement reproduced hereunder:                                                   PG NO 500 MERIT  POSITION OF RESPONDENTS WITH AND  WITHOUT  ‘COLLEGE-- WISE’ INSTITUTIONAL WEIGHTAGE; Sl. No. Name                    Merit Position                 with 5%         without 5%                 Institutional   Institutional                 weightage       weightage S1.No. Name                     Merit Position 1.      Dr. Ashok Kumar GuPta   207     171 2.      Dr. Rajeev Ahuja        226     209 3.      Dr. Ashwani Kumar Singh 201     162 4.      Dr. Ishwar Das          177     131 5.      Dr.Ratan Lal Tiwari     215     181 6.      Dr. Madhu Sanwal        97      45      The fortunes of the candidates would thus undergo a sea change.  Those who are more meritorious having secured  more aggregate  marks than others would not get admission  to  PG courses  anywhere  in Rajasthan, whereas those  with  lesser merits would get admission by reason of the 5%  College-wise preference. To take the case of the appellants, they  having secured  aggregate marks of 1650, 1638, 1624, 1617 and  1613 have not been able to secure admission in any discipline. As

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against this candidates have secured much less marks already secured  admission  in  one or the other of  the  5  Medical Colleges.  In  order to illustrate the  point,  the  tabular statements  reproduced hereinbelow may be glanced at: Medical  College    Aggregate marks  of  Discipline                     last candidate       allotted Jodhpur             1548                 M.D. (Anaesthesia) Udaipur             1626                 M.S. (Surgery) Jaipur              1602                 M.D. (Anaesthesia) Bikaner             1622                 M.D. (Microbiology) Statement   showing  list of  candidates,  less  meritorious (that the appellants)who have secured admission:                                                   PG NO 501 College       Aggregate marks       Discipline allotted Jodhpur         1610,                  M.D.                                      (Medicine)                 1605                 1601                (Skin & V.D.)                 1606, 1595,                 1590                 1576,                 1577                 1582, 1570,                 1548                                       M.S.                                     (Surgery)                                       M.S.                                   (Orthopaedics)                                       M .D .                                    (Anaesthesia)               1638                    M . D .                                      (Medicine)               1637, 1635, 1626         M.D.                                     (In TB & CD,)               1629, 1610,               1604                                      Psychiatry                                     (Skin & V.D.)                                          M.S.                                      (Surgery)                1620                      M . S .                                     (Orthopaedics)                1617, 16()3, 1602        M.D.                                     (Anaesthesia)      What  emerges from the above statements is  that  while one  of  the appellants who has secured 1650  marks  in  the common  competitive examination has not been able to  secure admission  in  P.G. Course in any College  in  Rajasthan,  a                                                   PG NO 502 candidate who secured about 100  marks less (1548 marks)  in the very same examination has been able to secure admission, the  rest  of the appellants havr not been  able  to  secure admission  anywhere  though they have  demonstrably  secured more  marks and are more meritorious than The  aforesaid  22 persons.  This  analysis exposes the  extremely  unfair  and unjust impact of the impugned rule. This factor coupled with the four factors highlighted earlier leave no room for doubt that  while on the face of it the impugned rule  appears  to extend  or  accord  equal treatment of 5  weightage  to  the students  of each of the five Medical Colleges,   in  actual operation   it   bring,  about  oppressive   and   obnoxious inequality. Once the veil of ’apparent equality is  pierced. to  the  offensive  ’reality’. Such being the  position  the constitutional  validity  of  the impugned  rule  cannot  be sustained.   It   has  to  be  buried   unceremoniously   as

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unconstitutional   being   violate  of  Art.   14   of   the Constitution of India.      The High Court has struck down as unconstitutional  the impugned   provision embodied in note (d)(ii)  of  Ordinance 278-E   mainly   on  the  ground  that  coupled   with   the institutional  preference  accorded  under  clause   (i)  it would  virtually  amount to making   100%    reservation  in farour  of the students of the Rajasthan University  in  the sense  that no other  student of any other University  would have  any reasonable chance to secure  admission   to  these courses.  relying in the  principle enunciated in  Nidamarti Mahesh  Kumar v. State of Maharashtra & Ors.,  AIR  1980  SC 1362-(1980)  3 SCR 1302, the reasoning is reflected  in  the following  passage  extracted  from  paragraph  25  of   the judgment under appeal:      "Thus after having given 5% weightage on the ground  of institutional  preference  that a candidate has  passed  his final  MBBS  Examination from the University  of  Rajasthan, further  5% weightage on the ground that he has  passed  his MBBS  final  examination from the Medical College  where  he seeks  admission. in Post Graduate course,  is  unreasonable able  and  arbitrary and does not stand  the  touchstone  of Article  14 of the  Constitution. If ]0% weightage is  given as  aforesaid  it  will come  to 275  marks  and  with  this increase  in marks no candidate from University  other  than University  of Rajasthan can get admission to Post  Graduate course  in  any one of the medical colleges. It  is  against the  equality  clause  as  it  amounts  to  cent  per   cent reservation  as 105 weightage in admission to Post  Graduate course  to a student, 5% weightage on the  University  basis                                                   PG NO 503 and  5%   on  the  institutional  basis,  amounts  to  total exclusion  of  candidates  of other  Universities.  We  have already  referred to the admissions for the years  1986  and 1987 and at the cost of repetition we may say that a look at Schedules  ‘A’and  ‘B’ regarding admissions in  SMS  Medical College, Jaipur in Post Graduate courses for the years  1986 and 1987 respectively will show that not a single  candidate from the University other than University of Rajasthan could seek admission. "     Since  however  a number of seats are now  (since  l988) reserved  in  each College for candidates on  an  All  India basis  as disclosed by the tabular statements reproduced  in the  earlier  part of this judgment. we prefer to  rest  our decision on the reasoning indicated earlier. These, are  the reasons  which impelled us to pass the final order as  under on July 21 1988:                            "ORDER                               I             The appeals fail and are dismissed.                              II      Ordinance   278-E(d)(ii)  of  the  Ordinances  of   the University of Rajasthan is declared as unconstitutional  and quashed.                             III      Admissions  to the Post Graduate Degree Courses in  all the  Medical  Colleges  at all centres  in  Rajasthan  shall hereafter be made inaccordance with the decision of the High Court  rendered  on  August 7, 1987 in  the  Writ  Petitions giving rise to the present appeals which is hereby confirmed.                              IV Future  vacancies including unfilled vacancies to  the  Post Graduate  Degree  Courses  in all the  Medical  Colleges  in Rajasthan  shall  hereafter  be filled on  the  basis   that Ordinance  278-E(d)(ii)  is invalid  provided  however  that

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those  students  who  have been admitted  to  Post  Graduate                                                   PG NO 504 courses pursuant to the interim order of this Court will not be  disturbed  and  will  be  permitted  to  complete  their courses.      Unfilled vacancies may be filled in accordance with and in  the light of this order even at this juncture if it  can be so done.                             VII      Reasons will follow.                             VII      There will be no order as to costs." R.S.S.                                     Appeal dismissed.