Supreme Court Ruling: SC, ST, OBC Candidates Cannot Claim General Seats Despite Scoring Higher Marks

In a recent ruling in January 2026, the Supreme Court clarified the rules around the allocation of General and Reserved Category seats. The Court ruled that candidates from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), or Other Backward Classes (OBC), who score higher than the General category cutoff, cannot claim General seats if they have availed the benefits of reservation in terms of cutoffs, age limits, fees, or physical criteria.

No Quota for General Category Seats

The Supreme Court stated that General category seats are open to all candidates and cannot be reserved for any specific caste, class, or gender. In a significant decision, the Court rejected the claim of a candidate from the Scheduled Caste (SC) category seeking to be considered for a General category post. The bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Augustine George Masih stated that “there is no quota for General category seats; such positions must remain open and cannot be reserved for any caste, class, or gender.”

The Court emphasized that any recruitment authority cannot disqualify a candidate from the General category based solely on their reserved category status if they score higher than the General cutoff. Disqualifying such candidates violates Articles 14 and 16 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantee equality. Therefore, the Court directed that shortlists for vacancies should be made purely on merit, which would include candidates from reserved categories who meet the General cutoff.

Reserved Category Candidates and General Seats: When They Cannot Claim

In a recent case involving the Indian Forest Service (IFS) examination, the Supreme Court denied a claim for General category consideration from an SC category candidate despite them scoring higher than the General cutoff. The candidate had previously availed the SC category relaxation for the 2013 IFS examination, where the General cutoff was 267 marks while the SC cutoff was 233 marks. The candidate had scored 247.18 marks, which was above the SC cutoff but below the General category cutoff.

The Supreme Court made it clear that once a candidate benefits from reserved category concessions, they are not eligible for General category vacancies, even if their marks exceed the General cutoff. This rule ensures that the reserved category benefits—such as lower cutoffs, age relaxations, and fee concessions—are not misused to claim a General category seat.

The decision reaffirms that while merit-based selection remains paramount, the rules of reservation are clear: no reserved category candidate who avails of the relaxation benefits can claim an open General category seat, regardless of their performance.

This ruling has significant implications for future recruitments, ensuring that the system remains fair and transparent, while also respecting the provisions of reservation for the upliftment of underrepresented communities.