Key facts
- Supreme Court upholds Rs 8 lakh annual income limit for EWS category
- Private medical colleges cannot be forced to charge government fee rates
- Ruling impacts EWS reservations in private medical institutions
The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the Rs 8 lakh annual income threshold for the Economically Weaker Section reservation category, settling a question that had been contested before multiple courts. The bench simultaneously ruled that private medical colleges cannot be forced to charge government-prescribed fee structures, drawing a clear line between constitutional reservation obligations and institutional fee autonomy.
The judgment addresses a tension that has grown sharper as EWS reservations — introduced through the 103rd Constitutional Amendment — were extended to private educational institutions. Many private medical colleges had argued that being compelled to admit EWS students at government-level fees, which are a fraction of their actual costs, amounted to an unconstitutional taking of their property and an infringement of their right to administer institutions.
The court appears to have agreed with that position in part, ruling that while the EWS income limit of Rs 8 lakh is constitutionally valid, the financial burden of subsidising those admissions cannot be transferred wholesale onto private institutions. This creates a practical challenge: EWS-category students admitted to private medical colleges may find that their reserved seats do not come with the fee relief they anticipated.
The ruling is expected to prompt fresh petitions from student groups and state governments seeking clarity on how the gap between government fee caps and private college charges will be bridged — whether through scholarships, state subventions, or other mechanisms. For now, the Rs 8 lakh income ceiling stands as the binding national standard for EWS eligibility.