Supreme Court Upholds Meritorious Reserved Category Candidates Right To Unreserved Seats

 The Supreme Court of India has recently made a landmark ruling regarding the admission of meritorious candidates from reserved categories to unreserved seats in educational institutions. This decision was rendered in the case of Ramnaresh @ Rinku Kushwah and Others vs. State of Madhya Pradesh, where the Court set aside a prior order from the Madhya Pradesh High Court that had denied these candidates admission under the unreserved (UR) category.

Background of the Case

The case arose from the admission process for MBBS seats in Madhya Pradesh, where 5% of the total seats were reserved for students from government schools. When there were unfilled vacancies in the government school unreserved category (GS-UR), these seats were supposed to be allocated to the general open category, as per the Madhya Pradesh Education Admission Rules, 2018. The appellants, who were meritorious students from reserved categories (SC/ST/OBC) and had studied in government schools, contended that they should have been considered for these unreserved seats before they were released to the general category. The High Court dismissed their petitions, prompting the appeal to the Supreme Court.

Supreme Court's Ruling

On August 20, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the appellants, asserting that the methodology used by the Madhya Pradesh government to restrict meritorious reserved category candidates from accessing unreserved seats was unsustainable. The Court emphasized that candidates from reserved categories who qualify on their own merit should be admitted to the UR category, rather than being confined to their respective reserved categories. The judges noted that many less meritorious candidates had secured admission to the UR category while the appellants, who had scored higher marks, were unjustly denied admission.

Justice B.R. Gavai, writing for the bench, stated, “The open category is open to all, and the only condition for a candidate to be shown in it is merit, regardless of whether reservation benefit of either type is available to her or him.” This ruling reinforces the principle that merit should prevail over rigid categorizations in the allocation of educational opportunities.

Conclusion

The Supreme Court's decision not only rectifies the denial faced by meritorious candidates from reserved categories but also clarifies the legal framework regarding horizontal and vertical reservations. The Court directed the Madhya Pradesh Department of Medical Education to admit the appellants to the unreserved GS seats for the academic session 2024-25, highlighting the importance of merit in educational admissions and ensuring that reservation policies do not undermine deserving candidate