In Brief
The Supreme Court affirmed that a Meritorious Reserved Candidate (MRC)—a reserved category student who qualifies on general merit—may choose a seat earmarked for the reserved category to secure admission in a college of preference. However, for computing the reservation percentage, the MRC is deemed admitted as a general category candidate, not a reserved candidate. When an MRC opts for a reserved seat, the general seat he vacates is filled by the lowest-ranking affected reserved candidate, maintaining the 50% reservation cap. The Court distinguished UPSC service selections (governed by Ramesh Ram) from medical admissions (governed by Ritesh R. Sah), holding that different rules apply to each context."
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.