Recently, the Delhi High Court has ruled that Schedule Caste (SC) candidates are entitled to reservation benefits regardless of their state of origin. This decision arose in the case of Vishnu Kumar Badetiya, who was denied appointment as a Staff Nurse due to the source of his Caste certificate. The Court emphasized that such denials constitute discrimination and ordered compliance with prior directives to appoint Badetiya.
The Delhi High Court addressed the issue of reservation for Schedule Caste (SC) candidates in a recent ruling involving Vishnu Kumar Badetiya. Badetiya Successfully qualified for the position of Staff Nurse with the Delhi Government’s health ministry pursuant to an advertisement published in 2009. Although he was declared successful in 2011, his name was omitted from the final appointment list because his Caste Certificate, issued in Rajasthan, was deemed invalid for reservation eligibility in Delhi.
Badetiya Contended that a letter from the Delhi Government entitled SC/ST candidates to reservations for civil posts regardless of their state of origin. He referenced a prior order from the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) that had granted similar relief to other candidates in 2011. Conversely, the authorities argued that, between August 4, 2009, and September 12, 2012, reservations for SC/ST candidates from outside Delhi were not permissible due to a Supreme Court ruling. They maintained that granting reservations to these candidates would disrupt the recruitment process.
The bench of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Girish Kathpalia noted that the Delhi Government provides reservations for candidates in the Persons with Disabilities and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) categories, irrespective of their state of origin. This led the Court to conclude that denying reservation benefits to SC candidates while providing them to other categories constituted discrimination. The court held “In such a situation, the State of NCT of Delhi is giving reservation to one category and denying to the other category, which is sheer discrimination to the category in question in the present case, and cannot be permitted”.
The Court dismissed the appeal, affirming that Badetiya’s Caste Certificate, issued in 1993, was valid and that he had performed well enough to secure the position. The Court directed the authorities to comply with CAT’s decision within four weeks, thereby upholding Badetiya’s entitlement to the appointment as an SC candidate.
Case Title: DELHI SUBORDINATE SERVICES SELECTION BOARD AND ANR. vs. VISHNU KUMAR BADETIYA
Citation: W.P.(C) 12303/2024 and CM APPL. 51162/2024 CM APPL. 51163/2024
Coram: Justice Suresh Kumar Kait, Justice Girish Kathpalia