The Supreme Court has issued a significant ruling on reservations, stating that the general category is based on merit, not caste. If reserved and ... read more

The Supreme Court has delivered a significant ruling regarding reservations, which directly impacts the recruitment process for government jobs and general category candidates. The court clarified that the general or open category is based on merit, not caste. If a reserved category candidate scores above the general cut-off without any exemptions, they will be considered for a general category seat.

What did the Supreme Court clarify?

The Supreme Court stated that the open or general category is open to all, regardless of caste or class. If a SC, OBC, MBC, or EWS candidate outperforms a general category candidate without any concessions, they will be included in the general list, rather than being tied to their reserved category.

The court also noted that it has often been observed in recruitment that the cut-off for reserved categories exceeds that for general categories. In such a situation, it is wrong to exclude a candidate from the reserved category if he or she clears the general category cut-off.

‘General category is not anyone's personal property’

The court reiterated that the terms general, open, or unreserved mean open to all. They are not reserved for any particular caste, class, or gender. Citing its earlier decisions in the Indra Sawhney case and the Saurav Yadav case, the Supreme Court said, " The only requirement for inclusion in the open category is merit. It will not be considered which class a candidate belongs to. "

‘Double benefit ' argument rejected

The court also rejected the argument that including such candidates would give them a “double  benefit . " It clearly stated that if no concessions were taken, this is not an additional benefit. The court also clarified that listing one's caste on the form does not in itself confer the right to a reserved seat, but only indicates that the candidate may also be eligible for a reserved list.

What was the matter?

This case involved recruitment for the Rajasthan High Court. In August 2022, the High Court announced recruitment for 2,756 positions (Junior Judicial Assistant and Clerk Grade- II) . Following the written examination, when the results were released in May 2023, the cut-offs for SC, OBC, MBC , and EWS were higher than those for the general category. Some reserved category candidates cleared the general category cut-off, but were excluded from the next round because they did not meet the cut-off for their category.

The decision of the High Court and then the Supreme Court

These candidates challenged this decision in the Rajasthan High Court. The High Court ruled that the general list should first be prepared based solely on merit, and that those who qualify for it cannot be placed on a separate reserved list. In December 2025, the Supreme Court upheld this decision and dismissed the Rajasthan High Court administration's appeal.

What does this decision mean?

• The General category is not a category of any one category, but a category of merit.
• If a reserved category candidate clears the general cut-off without any relaxation, he/she will be allotted a general seat.
• This has not taken away the rights of general candidates, but has strengthened the rule of merit.

 PC:Jagran