The Dean, Goa Medical College, ... vs Dr. Sudhir Kumar Solanki And Anr.

The Supreme Court held that the residency requirement of ten years as per Rule III 1(iii) of the Goa Rules 1998 for admission to Post-graduate courses is not mandatory and can be relaxed in favor of merit-based admissions. The Court emphasized that while domicile preferences are permissible, they must not lead to excessive reservations that undermine merit. The judgment of the Bombay High Court was set aside, allowing the appeal and reinforcing the principle that merit should be the primary criterion for admissions, as supported by Section 58 of the Goa, Daman and Diu Reorganisation Act, 1987.