Supreme Court Reiterates 'Merit Over Category' Principle for Job Appointments

The Supreme Court ruled that reserved category candidates scoring above the general category cutoff should be considered for unreserved seats. This decision, reaffirming principles of merit and equality, overturns a previous Kerala High Court judgment that favored restricting them to reserved category quotas.

The Supreme Court clarified on Friday that candidates from reserved categories who surpass the general category cutoff should be accommodated in unreserved seats.

Delivering the judgment, Justices M M Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma reaffirmed that reserved candidates (SC, ST, OBC) scoring above general cutoff marks qualify for open posts, reinforcing the merit principle under Article 14 and Article 16.

Overturning a Kerala High Court verdict favoring reserved quotas, the ruling recognized merit-induced shifts, preserving reserved seats for other candidates. The dispute stems from AAI's 2013 recruitment process challenged by Sham Krishna B, an unreserved candidate.

(With inputs from agencies.)