In Brief
The Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of 27% OBC and 10% EWS reservation in All-India Quota seats in undergraduate and postgraduate medical and dental courses. The Court held that Articles 15(4) and 15(5) are not exceptions to Article 15(1), but express substantive equality principles. Merit cannot be reduced to examination scores alone; competitive exams provide only formal equality without accounting for social and economic advantages. Reservation remedies structural disadvantages faced by backward groups. The AIQ scheme does not preclude reservation; prior Pradeep Jain references to merit concerned residence-based restrictions. The Union Government has constitutional power to introduce OBC and EWS reservation without seeking Court approval. The notification issued 29 July 2021 did not violate 'changing rules midway' principles, as seat matrices were scheduled for disclosure before counselling. The EWS criteria based on Rs 8 lakh family income were allowed for the 2021-2022 academic year pending full hearing on arbitrariness challenges, to avoid further admission delays.
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