PANAJI: OBC Chairman Nitin Chopdekar has raised serious concern over the continued delay in implementing the 100% roster-based reservation policy for OBC, ST, and SC categories in the Goa Medical College (GMC) Postgraduate admissions.
In March 2020, following a petition by the Gomantak Bhandari Samaj, the Advocate General informed the High Court that the State Government would provide 41% reservation (OBC 27%, ST 12%, SC 2%) in PG medical courses from 2021-22. Directions were subsequently issued to the Dean of GMC on May 4, 2020, by the Public Health Department.
However, the said order was challenged by 110 parents and students, leading the High Court to set it aside on October 11, 2021, citing the absence of amendments to the original counseling and merit rules.
Later, on May 11, 2023, the Goa Government notified a new reservation policy that controversially reserved all clinical seats for the General Category—approved in the Cabinet on August 1, 2023, and notified on August 8, 2023.
Since then, OBC, ST, and SC communities have been demanding 100% roster-based reservation. The Dean of GMC has submitted the revised Rules and Roster to the government on October 31, 2025, which await Cabinet approval and notification before November 10, 2025 — the final date for submission of certificates by PG aspirants.
If the process is delayed further, GMC may conduct counseling as per MCI guidelines by November 15, 2025, potentially depriving OBC, ST, SC, and EWS students of their rightful reservation in PG Medical admissions for 2025–26.
It is noteworthy that, following a landmark Madras High Court judgment and the Prime Minister’s intervention in 2021, all states in India have implemented OBC reservations in the All India Quota for MBBS and PG Medical courses. However, in Goa, students under the State Quota continue to await fair implementation of the same policy.
