Kerala High Court: Income of Abandoning Parent Excluded from EWS Reservation Eligibility

The Kerala High Court has held that a parent who has abandoned the family need not have their income considered when assessing a child’s eligibility for an EWS (Economically Weaker Section) certificate.

Justice N. Nagaresh passed the judgment while hearing a plea by a NIFT aspirant whose EWS application had been rejected because her father, who deserted the family over 12 years ago, was still being counted among the parents’ incomes.

The court relied on the village panchayat president’s certificate confirming desertion and noted that the family’s annual income fell below the threshold for EWS. The petitioner's EWS certificate was ordered to be issued.

[Meghna Devi and Anr. v. State of Kerala and Ors.]