Morung Express News
Kohima | February 24
The Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), Nagaland, has described the recent Supreme Court ruling on the State’s MBBS quota policy as a “landmark” judgment, stating that it brings finality to a prolonged legal dispute over eligibility for seats allocated to Nagaland under the Central Pool.
As per the State DIPR, the DTE said that the verdict delivers a decisive conclusion to the matter and cements a major legal precedent that non-indigenous candidates cannot claim the seats allocated to the State of Nagaland.
As reported earlier, on February 10, the Supreme Court dismissed a Special Leave Petition and declined to interfere with the judgment and order passed by the Gauhati High Court (Principal Bench) concerning the issue over seat allocation.
In the October 23, 2025 ruling, a Division Bench of the Gauhati High Court upheld the Nagaland Government’s September 9, 2021 notification governing allocation of Central Pool MBBS seats for the State.
The Court held that the Central Pool operates through distinct and non-interchangeable quotas. Since wards of defence personnel fall under a separate quota administered by the Union Ministry of Defence, they cannot claim eligibility under the deficient-State quota meant to address the shortage of medical infrastructure, it added.
The High Court further relied on a clarification issued by the Union Government and held that Clause 1.2.4 of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) guidelines does not permit Army personnel to be treated as local residents for the purpose of the deficient-State quota.
Thus, it ruled that the State’s September 9, 2021 notification was neither arbitrary nor violative of Article 14 of the Constitution and set aside the earlier Single Judge order dated August 14, 2025, which had quashed the notification.
The case arose after a medical aspirant, who is the daughter of a serving Army officer posted with the 1 Nagaland Battalion NCC in Kohima, challenged the September 9, 2021 notification after being denied admission under Nagaland’s Central Pool MBBS quota despite qualifying in NEET-UG.
According to the Directorate, the Supreme Court’s decision effectively upholds the State Government’s eligibility framework governing Central Pool MBBS seats allocated to Nagaland.
The DTE further attributed the outcome to the efforts of the State’s legal team led by Advocate General KN Balgopal. The State Government’s case before the High Court was argued by Additional Advocate General Vihelieu Suokhrie.
