AAKANKSHA SHARMA . vs STATE OF PUNJAB . — C.A. No. 5239 - 5240/2001

Case Summary: Aakanksha Sharma v. State of Punjab Outcome: The Supreme Court granted leave and allowed the appeal, directing that both appellants be admitted to medical college in the September 2001 session with their original merit ranks (340A and 290A) rather than the current 2000 session. Key Facts: Two Punjab-born students qualified for PMET-2000 based on a June 3, 2000 notification allowing bona-fide residents to appear, giving undertakings not to seek admission elsewhere. After results (June 25), the eligibility criteria changed when the June notification was withdrawn on July 23, 2000, rendering both ineligible and barring them from other state exams. Court's Reasoning: The appellants suffered through no fault of theirs—they relied on official criteria that changed post-results, they weren't parties to the High Court decision causing the change, and denying admission would be a travesty of justice. The Court ordered their participation in counseling from August 17, 2001, with seat entitlement based on merit rank availability. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.