In a significant ruling on reservation in higher education, the Allahabad High Court has struck down the Uttar Pradesh government’s order implementing 79% reservation in four medical colleges of the state.

The single-judge bench of the Lucknow wing quashed the special quota system applied in the medical colleges of Kannauj, Ambedkar Nagar, Jalaun, and Saharanpur, holding it inconsistent with the provisions of the 2006 State Reservation Act.

Under the now-scrapped policy, only 28 of the 340 total seats across the four institutions were left for the general category, while 248 were earmarked for Scheduled Castes, 20 for Scheduled Tribes, and 44 for Other Backward Classes. Effectively, in each college of 85 seats, just seven went to the general category, while 62 were reserved for SC, five for ST, and 11 for OBC candidates.

The court observed: “All the four government orders… which mandate fixing of quotas for reservation in excess of the extent prescribed in the 2006 Act are quashed.”

The colleges—established between 2010 and 2015—had adopted the enhanced quota system to qualify for special central grants, setting aside the 50% cap on reservation fixed by the Supreme Court in the landmark Indra Sawhney judgment of 1992.

Directing the state’s counselling board to conduct a fresh seat-allotment exercise under the 2006 Act, the court also advised the Medical Education Department to seek proper legal opinion before issuing any further directives.

The decision has thrown ongoing admission counselling into uncertainty, leaving aspirants waiting for clarity. Officials said a board meeting later today would determine the next course of action.