NRI Quota Fraud Must Come To An End': Supreme Court Upholds P&H High Court's Order Quashing Widened Definition Of 'NRI' In MBBS Admissions

The Supreme Court of India upheld the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s decision to quash the Punjab Government’s notification that broadened the definition of Non-Resident Indian (NRI) for MBBS admissions. The notification had expanded the NRI category to include distant relatives such as uncles, aunts, grandparents, and cousins, which the Court deemed unjustified and fraudulent. The Supreme Court emphasized that the NRI quota should be reserved for genuine NRIs and not be used as a backdoor entry for less meritorious candidates. The Court referred to the decision in P.A. Inamdar & Ors. v. State of Maharashtra, which clarified that NRI seats should be used bona fide by genuine NRIs and that merit should not be compromised. The decision aims to maintain the integrity of the NRI quota and ensure that it serves its intended purpose of providing opportunities to genuine NRIs.