Kerala High Court Rules Candidates Cannot Claim OBC Reservation if Community Added After Application Deadline

The Kerala High Court ruled that a candidate who applied under the general category cannot claim OBC reservation benefits if their community was added to the OBC list after the application deadline.

The Division Bench allowed Sini K.V.'s plea challenging a Kerala Administrative Tribunal order that granted OBC status to Minusha K., who had applied in 2016 as a general candidate. Minusha’s community was included in the OBC list only in 2018.

The Court held that reservation eligibility must be fixed as of the last date for applications to ensure fairness and avoid prejudice to other candidates, relying on Supreme Court precedents and quashed the Tribunal’s order. (Sini K.V v State of Kerala)