New Delhi: The Supreme Court has upheld a Rajasthan High Court ruling stating that candidates belonging to reserved categories who score higher than the cut-off marks prescribed for the general or open category must be considered under the open category at the shortlisting stage, and not restricted to their respective reserved categories.
A bench comprising Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Augustine George Masih dismissed appeals filed by the Rajasthan High Court administration and its registrar, thereby affirming the Division Bench judgment dated September 18, 2023. The apex court agreed with the High Court’s view that merit-based selection should prevail where reserved category candidates outperform the general category cut-off.
The ruling arose from a recruitment process initiated by the Rajasthan High Court in August 2022 for filling 2,756 vacancies for the posts of Junior Judicial Assistant and Clerk Grade-II. During the selection process, a dispute emerged over whether candidates from reserved categories who had scored above the general category cut-off could still be confined to reserved slots during shortlisting.
The High Court had earlier held that such candidates should be treated as open category applicants at the initial stage itself, ensuring that merit is not undermined by category-based restrictions. This interpretation was challenged by the High Court administration before the Supreme Court.
By rejecting the appeals, the Supreme Court reinforced the principle that reservation policies should not disadvantage candidates who qualify on merit above the general threshold. The verdict is expected to have broader implications for recruitment processes across public institutions, particularly in cases involving large-scale selections.
