Jaipur, November 11, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Rajasthan High Court has ruled that candidates belonging to Scheduled Tribes (ST) or other reserved categories in another state cannot automatically claim reservation benefits in Rajasthan government jobs merely by relocating to the state. Such candidates will be considered under the General category.
A division bench comprising Justice Vinit Kumar Mathur and Justice Chandra Shekhar Sharma dismissed a special appeal filed by Baria Sharmishtha Ben, who originally belongs to Gujarat and is recognised as an ST candidate there.
After her marriage, she moved to Rajasthan and applied for the post of Nursing Officer, seeking reservation benefits under the ST category. The state government rejected her claim and considered her candidature under the General category, in accordance with the recruitment advertisement.
She initially challenged the decision before a single-judge bench of the Rajasthan High Court, which dismissed her petition in view of the Supreme Court’s judgment in Ranjana Kumari v. State of Uttarakhand. She subsequently filed a special appeal, which was also rejected by the division bench.
The High Court observed that conditions of social disadvantage and backwardness vary from state to state. Therefore, recognition as a member of a reserved category in one state does not automatically entitle a person to the same reservation benefits in another state.
During the hearing, the bench referred to the Supreme Court’s landmark judgments in Marri Chandra Shekhar Rao and Action Committee on the Issue of Caste Certificate. The Supreme Court has consistently held that Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe status recognised in one state does not automatically carry the same reservation benefits to another state after relocation.
Reiterating this legal position, the Rajasthan High Court dismissed the special appeal.
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