Supreme Court Clarifies Rules for Reserved Category Candidates in General Jobs.
New Delhi, 20 April 2026: The Supreme Court of India has clarified a key aspect of recruitment policy, stating that candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) are eligible to compete for general (unreserved) category government jobs, provided their selection is based purely on merit. In its clarification, the court emphasized that if a candidate from a reserved category secures marks equal to or higher than the cut-off prescribed for the general category without availing any relaxation—such as age limits, application fee concessions, or qualification criteria—they must be treated as a general category candidate. The ruling reinforces the principle that merit-based selection should remain independent of social category when no reservation benefits are utilized. However, the court also drew a clear distinction regarding the use of reservation benefits. It stated that if a candidate avails any form of relaxation or concession pro...