Holding

Reservations that are vague, lack objective criteria, or are not based on any statutory order are unconstitutional, while genuine backward‑area reservations are valid, and the interview‑based selection, though excessive, is not per se violative of Article 14.

Summary

The Supreme Court examined the selection process for admission to the Government Medical College, Jammu for 1979‑80, where the State had reserved seats for various categories including "rectification of regional imbalance", areas adjoining the line of control, bad pockets, social castes, wards of medical staff and students from other states. The petitioners challenged the validity of these reservations as arbitrary and violative of Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution, and also questioned the heavy weighting of interview marks. The Court held that the "rectification of regional imbalance" category was vague, lacked objective standards and therefore unconstitutional, and that categories not grounded in the statutory orders (e.g., wards of medical staff) were invalid. However, reservations for genuine backward areas such as line‑of‑control and bad‑pocket regions were upheld as they did not offend the equality clause. The interview system, though excessive in mark allocation, was not struck down but the Court suggested a reduction in future. Consequently, the Court ordered a revision of the selection list, addition of seats to the open‑merit quota, set aside certain selections, and directed the State to provide a seat to a petitioner under the reciprocity policy.

Issues considered

The constitutionality of the "rectification of regional imbalance" reservation without clear identification of the areas concerned.
Whether the categories "areas adjoining the line of control", "bad pockets" and "social castes" are valid under Articles 14 and 15.
The validity of the "wards of medical college staff" category not found in any government order.
The propriety of assigning 50 marks to an interview lasting only a few minutes and its compliance with Article 14.
The legality of the reciprocity policy for seats allotted to students from other states.
The effect of clauses prohibiting candidates already selected for other courses on the eligibility of Kulbhushan Gupta.

Legislation cited

Constitution of Indias. Article 14, s. Article 15
Indian Medical Council Act, 1956

Subjects

reservationaffirmative actionArticle 14Article 15medical college admissioninterview marksregional imbalancebackward classesJammu and Kashmirwrit petitionselection criteria

Judgment

1253

NISHI MAOHU ETC. ETC. A
,
l.

STATE OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR AND ORS.
May 9, 1980
[A. C. GUPTA, S. MVRTAZA FAZAL ALI AND P. S. KAILASA.'11'., JJ.J B
.. Selecrion t>f candidates admitted to the: G01•ernment Medical College,
Jan1mu-Whe1her the notifications issued by the Government of Jammu and
Kashmir indicating different categories under clause (2) and earmiirking seats
arbitrary and unconstitutional-Articles 14 and· 15 of the Consti~ution--lnter
view method of selection whether a valid test.
c
The selection of ca.ndidates admitted to the Government Medical College,
Jammu are to be made in accordance with the manner and procedure laid down
in the various· orders issued by the Government of Jammu; and Kashmir from
time to time. The earliest order made on July 9, 1973 concerns admission t6
technical institutions which include medical colleges and says that ''the man
power requirements of various parts, of the State have not received unifc-nn and
equal treatment with the result that there has been imbalance in the· development D
of human resources in these parts", and "since the admissions to technical insti-
tutions also lead to the development of human resources'~, it had, therefore,
"become necessary to provide equal opportunities· to the permanent residen~
candidates of all parts of the State and all sections of the. society,'. Asi per this
order 50% of the seats were eMmarked for selection on open competition,
25% of the seats were reserved for candidates belonging to the categories
specified in clause (2) of the order according to the percentage indicated E
against each. It was further provided in the order that after selection, as above,,:
the remaining 25 % of the seats "should be filled on the basis: of inter se merit
to ensure rectification of imbalance in the admissions for various parts of the
State, if any~ so as to give equitabler and uniform treatment to those parts". In
case there. was no ''visible imbalance" or where no candidates were available under
a particular category mentioned in clause (2) above the seats earmarked under
these two heads "shall be added to the percentage under [clause] I above". The F
annexure to the order contained instructions concerning the "idenUfication of
th.e persons claiming benefit" under cJause 2 of the order and "the procedure
connected therewith". The instructions defined the different categories men·
tioned in clause (2) :
"Areas adjoining actual line of control-Candidates permanently
residing in any village of the' State specified in Appendix I to these' G
instructions''.
"Bad pockets-Candidates permanently residing in any village of
the State specified in Appendix Il to these instructions".
"Social Castes-Candidates of the State belonging to any of the
castes indicated in Appendix Ill to these instructions".
H
The instructions also provided for the issue of a certificate by tho concerned
authority stating that a candidate fell under any of the categories.
1254 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1980] 3 s.c.R.

A on June 27, 1974 another order was issued refixing the percentage of seats
reserved for the different categories "with a view to affording more accommo-o
dation for open merit". Open merit perc.entage was increased to 60, by reduc-
ing by 5 % the percentage of seats allotted for children of freedom fighters and
by reducing the percentage of seats of 25% earmarked to ensure "rectification of
imbalance" from 25% to 20%. 3% of seats reserved for candidates from
areas known as. bad pockets which included Ladakh under the category "socially
B and educationally backward classes" was reduced to 1 t;O and the resultant diff~
rence of 2% was earmarked to candidates from Ladakh which was excluded
from the above category. By another order dated April 21, 1976, the existing
reservation of 20% for meeting regional imbalance \V<i.'S reduced to I 8 'lo and •
•
the ..resultant 2 % vacancies earmarked for candidates possessing outstanding
proficiency in sports". An order made on April 16, 1976 earmarked. 10 seats
at the Governn1ent Medical College, Jammu, for girl students "subject to enough
c girl students being found otherwise suitable''. The ordeii also laid do·wn the
procedure to be followed by the selection committee in selecting cand!dates fer
admission to technical training course. By this order, comparative performnnce
Qf the candidates at an interview to be; conducted for the purpose by the selec~
tion committee was made the only basis· of selection. The· order added that the
marks obtained by a• candidate in the qualifying university examination should
be taken into consideration only to determin~ the initial eligibility to compete
D for selection. This order was modified by a subsequent order issued on April
3, 1978. Instead of the marks obtained. by a candidate· in the qualifying univer-
sity examination being treated as relervant only to determine eligibility, the
subsequent order provided : "there will be 100 ma-rks for academic merit 'vhich
shall be allotted to each candidate in accordance with the percentage of marks
secured by hifl1/her in the basic qualifying examination or its equivalent". This
order further provided that 50 marks would be allotted for interview:, 10 marks
E for each of the five factors : physical, fitness, personality,_ aptitude general know-
ledge and general intelligence.

By notification published in the Jammu and Kashn1ir Government Gazette
on June 21, 1979· applications were invited for admission to the M.B.B.S. course
in the aforesaid college. Only those candidates who had passed the Pre-Medical
or Inter-Science or First Year T.D.C. (Medical Group) examination from the
F University of Jammu or any other equivalent examination 3.nd had secured not
less than 50 per cent marks in science subjects in aggregate (theory and practi-
cal) were eligible to apply for admission; however, for scheduled castes. sche-
duled tribes Baka·rwal and Gujjar candidates and candidates from Ladakh dis-
trict and 'Bad pockets' the qualifying marks was 45 per cent. Candidates. who
had been selected or nominated by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir or
had been alr~ady selected by a selection committee constituted by the Govern-
G ment' for any training course in or outside the State were not eligible to apply
or to appear for interview for admission to this college. The notification added :
"Comparative merit of the candidates will be adjudged with respect to physical
fitness, aptitude, personality, general knowledge and general inte1ligence1 in the
interview, for which marks will be a.warded according to the perlormance of
the candidates". It was further provided that the selection would be made in
accordance with the manner and procedure laid down in the various orders
H issued by the Government from time to time. The total number of seats filled
by selection in this college for the year 1979-80 was 52. ·The candidates num-
bered 526, out of which 473 actually appeared for interview. In addition 10
NISHI MAGHU v. J. & K. 1255

seats were filled by candidates nominated by the Government. The nomina- A
tions had to be made only from two sources : \vards of non-resident Defence
personnel, and students from other states.

The petitioners challenged the selection of candidates admitted to the Gov-
ernment Medical College, Jammu for the academic year 1979-80 as bad and
that the categories mentioned in the several orders as arbitrary and unconstitu·
tional. B
HELD : 1. The classification made for rectification of regional imbalance
• is vague and the selections (serial Nos. 43 to 51 to the List) made under ·this
head are invalid for the following reasons : [1263 C-D,J

(i) The notification dated June 21, 1979 by which applications were invited
for admission to the medical college provided thatr the selection of candidates·
would be made in accordance with the manner and procedure laid down in the C
va•rious orders issued by the Government from time to time, but none cf these
orders contains an explanation 9ffered in· the supplenientary affidavit filed
by the State of J ammu & KaShmir that '~ " ...... the State Government has
found that for peculiar historical, geographical and topographical reasons there
prevails an imbalance in the matter of development of the various part<> of the.
State which has resulted in certain areas being ba.ck\var~ as compared with the
rest. In order therefore to rectify the distinction which inevitably would other- D
wise creep in to the selection, the State Government has reserved 18% of seats
for rectification of such imbalance". Even with thiS explanation~ the affidavi~
does not identify the area of imbalarice. There was thus no objective standard
to guide the selection committee. [1261 E~H, 1262 A]

(ii) Even in the supplementary affidavit it is not claimed that the area of
imbalance is only another name for the areas adjoining the actual tine of con- E
trol and the bad pockets, as contended on behalf of the State. What is said
in the affidavit is that the areas of imbalance are similar to thei aforesaid areas
in being equally backward. But this does not mean that these categories a·re
all identical and co-extensive in all respects. Further in spite of similarity, even
areas adjoining the actual line of control· and the bad pockets. have been put
under different categories; and [1262 B-DJ
F
(iii) The contention was that the classification was justified on the report of
the Anand Committee. The Selection Committee was required to follow not the
Anand Committee report but what was provided in the orders passed by the
Government. There is no order containing any reference to the Anand Com-
mittee Report. Neither the Government adopted the Anand Committee's re-
port nor did the Selection Committee; proceeded on the basis of that report.
Though tlie Anand Committee did not accept "social castes" as a category indi- G
cative of backwardness, the Selection Coinmittee has selected one candidate
under this category which clearly shows that the Selection Committee was not
guided by the Anand Committee Report, the selection made was not and could
not be on the basis of that report. [1263 A-CJ

2. In Janki Prii.sad Parimoo and Ors. etc. etc. v. State of Jammu and Kashmir
and Ors., [1973] 3 SCR p. 236, the Supreme Court did not approve 4 out of H.
23 "low social castes" mentioned in the Wazir Committee Report "as educa-
tionally and economically .extremely backward'', as having no basis for inclu-
1256 SlJPRE:VIE COURT REPORTS [1980] 3 s.c.R.

A sion in the List. In Appendix III, 19 of these castes have been retained which
were not disapproved in Parimoo's case. Chapter XIlI of the Wazir Committee
report makes it clear that the classification is with reference to the nature of
occupations which the people belonging to this category pursue. That being
so, the classification does not offend Article 14 or Article 15 of the Constitu·
,
tion. The selection of Edwin Khakkar, a Christian is in order since he falls
under one such category listed and since the category is based on occupation
B and not on caste as such. [1263 G-H, 1264 A-BJ
1 41''
't~
3. The areas adjoining actua1 line of control and bad pockets are rea.lly
backward areas and the residents of these areas are indisputably socially and
•
•
educationally backward. Reservations made for such candidates from such
back\vard classes cannot be said to offend Article 14 of the Constitution.
[1264C-D] IiIii
c Janaki Prasad Parimoo and Ors. etc. v. State of Jammu & Kashmir and
Ors., [1973] 3 SCR p. 236; followed.

4. Though the contention that "interviewing candidates to judge their
sullability was not a reliable test as many uncertain factors were likely to
affect the result of the interview" reflects a legitimate point of view, but it is
a point of view only and cannot be taken as the last word on the subject.
D However, it is impossible within allotted span of time (4 minutes) to make a fair
estimate of a candidate's suitability on a consideration of the five specified
factors which are not capable of easy determination such as physical
fitness, persooolity, aptitude, general knowledge and general intelligence.
By merely looking at a candidate, the selection committee could not come
to a conclusion about on.p's physical fitness. Therefore, the fact that the all-
otment of marks is in accordance with a policy decision may not conclude
E the matter in all circumstances; if that· decision is found to be arbitrary
and infringing Article 14. of the Constitution it cannot claim immunity
from challenge. [1264 E-H, 1265 G-H, 1266 AJ

R. Chitralekha and anr. v. State of Mysore and Ors. [1964] 6 SCR 368; ll
A. Peeriakaruppan etc. v. State of Tamil Nadu and Ors., [1971] 2 SCR 430;
distinguished and held inapplicable to the facts of the instant case.
F
5. The selection under the category "wards of Medical College Staff" is
invalid as such a category does not find place in any of the orders. [1266 G-H] j
6. Reservation for students from other States on reciprocal basis, as seen
from Anita Jain's case bas not worked in practice· and she is entitled to a
seat. Nor did the two clauses 17 and 18 of the notification dated June 21,
G 1979 apply to Kulbbusban Gupta since be was not selected or nominated by
the Government of Jammu and Kashmir for admission to the Engineering
College nor was he selected by any selection committee constituted by the
Government of fammu and Kashmir. [1267 E-H, 1268 G-H]

ORIGINAL JUR1smcnoN: Writ Petition Nos. 1488-89, 1556-57,
•
...I
H 1571/79 and 29, 201, 222, 249, 260-263, 267, 268-271, 278, 279,
304, 305. 309, 310 and 326 of 1980.
(Under Article 32 of the Constitution)

~--
NISHI MAGHU v. :r. tit 'K. (Gupta, !.) 1257
' Gupta for the Peti-
Anil Dev Singh, S. s. Jauhar and Lalit Kumar A
tioners in WP Nos. 148~-89, 1571/79 and 304, 309-310/80.
A nil Dev Singh and S. K. Sabharwal for the Petitioners in WP Nos.
JI,., 201, 249, 267, 278, 279 and 326/80.
Naunlt Lal for the Petitioners in WP Nos. 1556-57/79, 29, 222,
260-63, 268-271 and 305/80. B
S. N. Kackar for the Respondent in WP Nos. 1488-1489/79.
• Y. S. Chitale and.Mukul Mudgal for the Respondent in WP Nos.
1556-1557 /79.
Alta/ Ahmed for Respondent Nos. 1-3 in WP 1488 and RR. 1-6
in WP 1489 /79 and in all the matters. c
.y ATM Sampath and P. N. Ramalingam for RR. 7 in WP No.
1488/79 and 1551-1557/79.
C.S.S. Rao for RR. 12 in WP No. 1488/79.
S. P. Gupta, V. K. Pandita, R. Satish and E. C. Agarwala and
Dwarka Nath Gupta for the Intervener i:n WP Nos. 1556-1557/79. D
A. K. Sen, V. K. Pandita, R. Satish, S. P. Gupta, Dwarka Nath
Gupta and E. C. Agarwala for the Intervener in WP Nos. 1488-1489/
79.
L. M. Singhvi (Dr.), L. K. Pandey and Mr. Naunit Lal for the I
Petitioner in WP No. 29/80. E
The Judgment of the Court was deilvered by
GUPTA, J.-The selection of candidates admitted to the Govern-
ment Medical College, Jam.mu, for the academic year 1979-80 is chal-
lenged in these petitions under Article 32 of the Constitution by some
of the candidates who were not selected. By notification published in F
the Jam.mu and Kaslunir Government Gazette on June 21, 1979 appli-
' cations were invited for admission to the M.B.B.S. course in the afore-
r said college. Only those candidates who had passed the Pre-Medical
or Inter-SCience or First Year T.D.C. (Medical Group) examination
from the University of Jam.mu or any other equivalent examination and
had secured not less than 50 per cent marks in science subjects in aggre- G
gate (theory and practical) were eligible to apply for admission; how-
ever, for scheduled castes,, scheduled tribes, Bakarwal and Gujjar candi-
·dates and candidates from Ladakh district and 'Bad Pockets' the. quali-
fying marks was 45 per cent· Candidates who had been selected or
nominated by.the Government of Jammu and Kashmir or had been
already selected by a selection committee constituted by the Government H
for any training course in or outside the State were not eligible to apply
c;>r to appear for interview for admission to this cOllege. The notification
21-610 SCI/80

•
1258. SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1980] 3 S.C.R.

A added : "Comparative merit of the candidates will be adjudged with
respect to physical fitness, aptitude, personality, general knowledge and
lb
general intelligence in the interview,. for which warks will be awarded.
according to the performance of the candidates". It was further provid-
ed that the selection would be made in accordance with the manner ..It "·
'!\!
and procedure laid down in the various orders issued by the Govern-
B . ment from time to time. The total number of seats filled by selection ..• '

·r.
in this college for the year 1979-80 was 52. The candidates numbered .
526, out of which 4 73 actually appeared for interview. In addition
10 seats were filled by candidates nominated by the Government. It •
•
appears from the supplementary affidavit filed on behalf of the State of
Jannnu and Kashmir that the nominations had to be made only from
c two sources : wards of non-resident Defence personnel, and students
from other States. y
Before we proceed to .consider the grounds on which the selection
is challenged, it will be necessary to refer to the contents of the orders
issued by the Government of J ammu and Kashmir to regulate the selec-
D tion. The earliest order which is relev~nt in this context was made on
July 9, 1973. This concerns adntission to technical institutions which
include medical colleges. The order starts by saying that ''the man
power requirements of various parts of the State have not received uni-
form and equal treatment with the result that there has been imbalance
in the development of human resources in these parts", and ''since the
E admissions to technical institutions also lead to the development of
human resources", it had therefore "become necessary to provide equal
i
f

opportunities to the permanent resident c~ndidates of all parts of the
State and all sections of society". The order then lays down the follow-
ing rules for admission until further orders, it is said, with the aforesaid
F object in view :

( 1) 50 per cent of the seats "should be straightaway earmarked
for being filled upon the basis of open merit in accordance
with the criteria to be adopted by the concerned selection
committee constituted by the Government in this behalf''.

G (2) Of the remaining seats, 25 per cent is reserved for candi-
dates falling under the categories specified below to the
extent indicated against each, to be filled on the basis of
merit in each category : ·
(a) Scheduled castes. 8%

I..
II (b) Children of freedom fighters. 7%
{ c) Children of permane!lt resident Defence
personnel.
·~
NIS!ll MAGHU v. J. & K. (Gupta, /.) 1259

( d) Candidates belonging to the following A.
socially and educationally back.ward
classes at recommended by the Backward
Classes Committee; ·
(i) Areas adjoining actual line of control 3%
(ii) Areas known as bad pockets includ- B
.. ing Ladakb.. 39'o
(iii) Social castes 1%

It is further provided in the order that after selection as indicated
y in clauses (1) and (2) above had beeu made, the remaining 25 per c
/ cent of the seats "should be filled on the basis of inteHe merit to
ensure rectification of imbalance in the admissions for various parts
of the State, if any, so as to give equitable and uniform treatment to
those parts". It is added that in case there is no ''visvble imbalance"·
or where no candidates are available under a particular category
mentioned in' clause 2 above the seats earmarked under these two D
heads "shall be added to the percentage under 1 above". The
selection committee while making selections is required by the
ord~ to indicate separately the category under which a can-
didate falls. There is an annexure to the order contauung
instructions concerning the "identification of the persons claiming
E
benefit" under clause 2 of the order and the "procedure con-
nected therewith". The instructions define the different catego-
ries mentioned in clause (2). For the present purpose it will be
necessary to refer to the definitions of "Areas adjoiming actual line
of control", "Bad pockets'', and "Social castes".

"Areas adjoining actual line of control-Candidates F
permanently· residing in any village of the State specified in
Appendix I to these illlstructions."
"Bad pocket8-eandidates permanently residing in any
village of the State specified in Appendix II to these
instructions." · · G
"Social castes-eandidates of the State belonging to
any of the castes indicated in Appendix III to these ins-
tructions."
I
The instructions also provide for the issue of a certificate by tlie B
concetnecl authority stating that· a candidate falls under any of '
the categories.

-, r·
•

1260 SIJPREME COURT REPORTS [1980] 3 s.c.R.

A On June 27, 1974 anoµier order was issued refuting the percen-
tage of seats reserved for the different categories "with a view to
affording more accommodation for open merit".

The following changes were made to the earlier order:
( 1) Instead of 50 per cent, 60 per cent of the seats is
now earmarked for admission on the basis of "open
merit".
(2) Instead of 25 per cent, 20 per cent is earmarked for
admission under the categories mentioned in clause
2 of the order dated July 9, 1973. The percentage
c · of seats allotted for children of freedom fighters is
reduced from 7 per cent to 2 per cent. Under the
category "socially and educationally backward clas-
ses" the earlier order had reserved 3 per cent of the
seats for candidates belonging to areas known as bad
pockets including Ladakh, by this order Ladakh is
D excluded from that category reducing the percentage
of seats from 3 per cent to 1 per cent and a separate
category has .been made for candidates from the
Ladakh district allotting 2 per cent of the seats to'
them.
E (3) Whereas in .the earlier order 25 per cent of the seats
' was earmarked to ensure rectification of imbalance,
here the figure is reduced to 20 per cent.
About two years later, on April 21, 1976 another order was iss-
ued reducing the existing reservation of 20 per cent for meeting reg-
ional imbalance to 18 per cent and allotting "the resultant 2% vac-
F ancies" for candhlates "possessing outstanding proficiency in
sports".
It is necessary to refer to two more orders. An order made on f
April 16, 197 6 provides that 10 seats at the Government Medical
College, J ammu, shall be earmarked for girl students "subject to
G enough girl students being found otherwise suitable". The order
also lays down the procedure to be followed by the selection commi-
ttee in selecting candidates for admission to technical traimng cour-
ses. By this order, comparative performance of the candidate.s at
an interview to be conducted for the purpose by the selection commi-
ttee is made the only basis of selection. The order adds that the
H marks obtained by a . candidate in the qualifying university examina-
tion shall be taken into consideration only to determine the initial
eligibility to compete for selection. This order was modified by a

_1
•\

NISHI MAGHU v. J. & K. (Gupta, J.) 1261
•
subsequent order issued on April 3, 1978. Instead of the marlcs
obtiiined by a candidate in the qualifying university examination be- .
ing treated as relevant only to determine eligibiJ.ity, the subsequent
order provides: "there will lie 100 marks for academic merit which
. shall be allotted to each candidate in accordance with the percentage
• of marks secured by him/her fo the basic qualifying examination or
its equivalent". This order further provides that 50 marks will B
be allotted for interview, 10 marks for each of the five factors; physical
fitness, personality, aptitude, general knowledge and general intelligence.

Some of the categories mentioned in these orders have been chall-
enge9 as arbitrary and unconstitutional. We may begin witli the c
classification made for 'rectification or regional imbalance' for which
18 per cent of the seats is reserved. The ·crilicism is that the order
creating this category does not identify the .areas which suffer from
imbalance nor does it S'UQPly any guidelines for the selection commi-
ttee. It appears that the selection committee has admitted· 9 candi-
, .

dates under this head whose names appear at serial Nos. 43 to 51 D
of the list of selected candidates annexed to .the supplementary
affidavit filed on behalf of the first respondent, State of Jammu and
Kashmir. How exactly the selection committee understood what
regional imbalance was and on what basis they accepted certain areas
of the State as suffering from imbalance is not known. The supple-
mentary affidavit seeks to explain the category as follows :
" .... the State Government has found that for peculiar. historical,
geographical and topographical reasons there prevails an imbalance
m the matter of development of the various parts of the
State which has resulted i!ll certain areas being backwarl! as com-
pared with the rest. In order therefore to rectify the distortion which
inevitably would otherwise creep into the selection, the State Govern-
F
'
ment has reserved 18% of seats for rectification of such imbafance" .
' \ . The affidavit refers to the disadvantages suffered by areas which ad-
join the actuai line of control and the bad pockets and states: "like-
wise there are other areas in the. State which have recived lesser att-
. ention in the past in the matter of economic development These G
areas, inter alia, are either inaccessible on account of difficult geo-
graphical terrain or suffer from difficult climatic condition .... Natu-
rally therefore the human resources from those areas have also not
developed". It may be recalled that the notification dated June 21,
1979 by which applications were invited for admission to the medi-
cal college provided that the selection of candidates would be made in n
· accordance with the manner and procedure laid down in the
various orders issued by the Government from time to time, but none

;~~
,,,_ .
'.if~k~--
1262 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1980] 3- $.C.R.

of these orders contains an explanation as the one now offered .in the
supplementary affidavit. Even with this explanation the affidaVit
does not identify the, areas of imbalance. There was thus no objec- J.
tive standard tel guide the selection committee. Mr. Kacker appearing
for the State of J ammu and Kashmir sought to argue that by area of
imbalance what was meant was really the same thing as areas adjoin-
ll ing actual line of control and bad pockets. But in all the orders issued
by the Government from time to time the area of imbalance has been .j

treated as a distinct category. Even in the supplementary affidavit it
is not claimed that the area of imbalance is only another name for the
areas ~djoining the actual line of control and the bad pockets, what is
C said is that these are similar in being equally backward. But this does· .......
. not mean that these categories are all identical and co-extensive in all • .
respects. It will be noticed that, in spite of the similarity, even areas
adjoining the actual line of control and the bad pockets have been put
l!lilder different categories.

D Mr. Kacker also urged that as the areas suffering from imbalance
were backward areas, constituting a separate category for candi-
dates coming from such backward areas was in accordance with
. the report of a committee headed by Mr. Justice Anand of Ja.mmu
and Kashmir High Court. The Anand Committee w:is appointed on
August 24, 1976 to examine and remove defects in the Jammu and
E Kashmir Soheduled Castes $d Backward · ClasSes (Rese1'Va6on)
Rules, 1970 and the Jammu and Kashmir Scheduled Castes and
Backward Classes (Reservation of Appointment by Promotion) Rules
1970. These rules were framed on the basis of the recommendations
' of a committee, called the Wazir Committee, set up in 1969
for drawing up a list ol' back.ward classes in the State. Mr. Justice
F
J.N. Wazir, a former Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court,
was the Chairman of this Committee. The Wazir Committee submit- j '
ted its report in November 1969 recommending several classes of
citizens to be clisrufied as backward classes. The validity of these
Rules came up for .scrutiny before this Court in Janki Prasad Parimoo
G and others etc. ef(:. v. State of Jamrnu and Kashmir and others.('} In
Parimoo's case certain defects in the 1970 Rules were pointed out and
the Anand Committee was constituted, as stated already, "with a view
, to examine removal of. defects" in the 1970 Rules. The Anand Com-
mittee s~bmitted its report in September 1~77. Mr. Kacker drew our
attention to the fact that the report was debated on the fibor of both
H houses of the Jammu and Kashmir !egislatilre which resolve.I as

(1) [1973] 3 S. C. R. 236
'1

NISHI MAGHU v. J.&K. (Gupta, J.) 1263

follows : "The report need to be adopted by the Government as A
.quickly as po5sible and rules made so that the backward classes could
-Oerive benefits quickly''. It is no! necessary to examine whether the
' Anand Commitree report identifies the areas of imbalance in the State
.because the selection committee was required to follow not the Anand •
Committee report but what was provided in the orders passed by the
Government. There is no order containing any reference to the Anand
B
.Committee report. There iSi also nothing to show that the Government
had adopted the report of that the selection committee proceeded on
the basis of tliat report. It appears from page 59 of the Anand
,r •• Committee report that the Committee did not accept "social castes"
Y as a category indicative of backwardness, but the selection committee c
· has selected one candidate under this category which plajnly shows that
the selection committee was not guided by the Arland Committee
report. There can be no doubt that the selections made were not mid
could not be on the basis d that report. It must therefore be held that
the classification made for rectification of regional imbalance without
identifying the areas suffering from imbalance is vague and the selec- D
tions made under this head are accordjngly invalid.

In support of this contention tha_t area of imbalance was only ano-
thec name for bad pocketSi or areas adjoining actual line of control,
Mr. Kacker claimed that the 9 candidates selected for 'rectification of
imbalance' an came from either bad pockets or froin areas adjoining B
actuail line of control The claim was questioned by the petitioners
who sought to disprove it by reference .to the material on record. We
do not consider it necessary to examine the individual cases here. . It
may be that some of these candidates really came from areas adjoining
actual line of control or bad pockets, yet they cannot be accommodat-
ed unless the percentage d seats reserved for these two categories
F
was raised.

Another category under challenge is "social castes''. Included in
this category are candidates of the State belonging to any of the castes
indicated in appendix m to the instructpns forming part of the order G
dat!ld, JUiy 9, 1973 to which reference has already been made. The
Wazir Committee in their rep9rt mentioned 23 low social castes "as
educationally and economically extremely backward" ·but 4 of them
have been held 'by this Court in Parinwo's case as having no basis for
inclusion in the list. In appendix m 19 of these castes have been
retained which were not disapproved in Parinwo's case. Chapter XIII R
, of the Wazir Committee report makes it cleiµ- that the classification
is with reference to the nature of occupations which the people belong-
1264 SUPREME COUR.T REEORTS [1980] 3 $.C.R.

A ing to this category pursue. That being so we find no substance in.
the challenge that the classification offends Article 14 or Article 15
of the Constitution. Under this category only one candidate has been
selected whose name, Edwin Khokkar, appears at serial No. 33 in the
list of selected candidates annexed to the supplementary affidavit filed
on behalf of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. An objection was
B raised against his selection that he being a Christian, as his name
s;hows, could not belong to any of the castes mentioned in appendix ' "
III. But as the category is based on occupation and not on caste as
such, the objection must be overruled.

The classifications based on areas adjOiJiliig actual line of control ( .,
and bad pockets are also challenged as violative of Article 14 of the 1
Constitution. These are really backward areas and the residents of
these areas are indisputably socially and educationally backward.
Reservations made for candidates from such backward classes cannot
be said to offend Article 14. In fact in Parimoo's case the rese,rvation
made for residents of bad pockets whichwere identified in the report
D
of the Wazir Committee, was accepted .'llS valid. We therefore hold.
that the challenge to these two categories is not justified.

Apart from the challenge to some of the categories mentioned in
the Government orders, the validity of interview as a test for selection
E has also been questioned, not only in principle but also 'in regard to
the manner in which it was conducted. It was contended that inter-
viewing candidates to judge their suitability w:i.s not a reliable test as
many uncertain factors were likely to affect the result of the interview.
The criticism reflects ~ legitimate point of view but it is a point of view
only and cannot be mken as the last word on the subject. In this
F connection we may refer to the observations of this Court in R.
Chitralekhd and another v. State of Mysore and others : (') "In the· f.
field of education there are divergent views as regard the mode of tesi- r
ing the capacity and calibre of students in the matter of admissions to·
colleges. Orthodox educationists stand by the marks obtained by a:
student in the annual examination. The modern trend of opinion ..[
G insists upon other additional tests, such as interview, performance in
extra-curricular activities, personality test, psychiatric test etc. Ob-
viously we are not in a position to judge which method is preferable ~l
or which test is .the correct one". In A. Periakaruppan, etc. v. State
of Tamil Nadu awl others(') this Court said : "In most cases the first
impression need not necessarily be the best impression. But under tlte
B
(!) (19641 6 S. C. R. 368.
(2) (1971] 2 S. C. R. 430.
NISHI MAGHU v. J. & K. (Gupta, /.) 1265

existing conditions in ibis country we are unable to accede to the con- A.
tention of the petitioners that the system of int~rview as in vogue in
this country is so defective as to make it useless".

In almost all the writ petitions before us the onil test as conducted
has been described as a "farce". The criticism is based on the alle-
gation that the time spent on each candidate was between ~ t and 2 B
minutes within which, it was contended, one could hardly assess the
suitability of the candidate on a consideration of the five factors :
physical fitness, aptitude, personality, general knowledge and general
intelligence, some of which are also difficult to evaluate objectively.
In· an affidavit filed on behalf of the State of J ammu and Kashmir, •C'
sworn by Dr. A. H. Fazli, Professor of Pharmacology, Srinagar, who
was one of the members. of the selection committee, it is stated that on
an average the time spent for interview was "4 minutes per candidate".
Mr. Kacker for the State of Jammu and Kashmir submitted that it was
a policy decision by the Government to convert the full marks of the
qualifying examinations to 100 marks and allot 50 marks for interview
for l:he purpose selection. He expl~ined that the conversion was
D'
necessary because the candidates had appeared in different qualifying
examinations and the total marks in the different examinations varied
between 550 and 300. It was pointed out on behalf of the writ peti-
tioners that allotment of 50 marks for interview after reducing the
total marks of the written examination, where it was 550 to· 100, E
amounted to allotting 275 marks for interview as against 550 marks
for written examination. It was contended that this was beyond all
reasonable proportion especially considering .the fact that only 4
minutes were spent in evaluating a candidate's performance in the
intervie,w. Our attention was drawn to Periakaruppan's case where -Olis
Court thought "earmarking 75 marks out of 275 marks for intervillW
as interview marks prima fade appears to be excessive". However the
conclu.<ion reached in Periakaruppan' s case on the point was : "While
we do feel that the marks allotted for interview are on the high >ide
and it may be appropriate for the Government to re-examine lho
question, we are unable to uphold the contention that if was not within
the power of the Government to provide such high marks for
interview ...... ". Reserving 50 marks for interview out of a total of
150 (100 for written examination and 50 for interview) does seems
excessive. especially when the time spent was not more than 4 minute'
on each candidaie. It is difficult to see how it is possible within this
short span of time to make a fair estimate of a candidate's suitability
on a consideration of the five specified factors which are not capable
of easy .determination, such as physical fitness, personality· aptitude,.
general knowledge and general intelligence. It is also not clear how by1

-.y
1266 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1980] 3 s.c.R.

iA merely looking at a candidate the selection committee. could
come to a conclusion about his or her physical fitness. The fact that
the allotment of marks is in ac;cordance with a policy decision may not
conclude the matter in all circumstances; if that decision is found to
be arbitrary and infringing Article 14 of the Constitution, it cannot
claim immunity from challenge. When we say this we are not un-
mindfl)l of the observations in Per/akaruppan's case quoted above,
. which were made in a somewhat similar but not altogether identical
situation. It wiis also contended for the writ petitioners that reserving
such high marks for interview leaves room for discrimination and mani-
pulation. It has been held in Chitralekha' s case that the faC! that a
'Cl system is capable of abuse is not a ground for quashing it. There is y
no reliable material before us to prove that there has been discrimiqa- ·
!ion or manipulation of the interview marks in any of these eoases.
That being so, and considering the possible hardship, if the selections
were now 'Set aside, to the students in whose case the validity of the
selection canuot otherwise be questioned and who have nearly com-
pleted two terms, we are not inclined to annul the entire selection,
though allotment of 50 marks for interview in the circumstances stated
above seem to us excessive. However, we expect the Government of
Jamrtm and Kashmir to reconsider the matter in the light of what we
have sa.id above and, other things remaining the same, for future
years to reduce the percentage of marks allotted for interview to a
E reasonable proportion of the total marks for the selection test.

Counsel for the petitioners in Writ Petitions 1556-57 of 1979 sought '
to make a point that the regulations framed by the Indian Medical
Council under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 do not c:ontem-
plate interview as a selection device regulating admission of students.
The position is not so clear from the affidavit filed on behalf of the
petitioners and in any case these regulations came into effect after the j
interviews were concluded in September 1979.

The selection of one candidate has been questioned on the ,groundi
that he does not fall under any of the categories mentioned in the
orders. Shri Sanjay Pathania whose name appears at serial No. 52
in the list of candidates annexed to the supplementary affidavit filed on
behalf of the St&te of .J ammu and Kashmir appears to have been select-
ed under the category "Ward~ of Medical College· Staff". It was
argued that this category is not based on a valid classification' and
infringes Article 14 of the Constitution. It is not necesi;ary ta exanilne
the validity of the classification for. the simple reason that this is· not a
category mentioned in any of the orders. That being so the selection
of Shri Pathania must be set aside.
NISHI MAGHU v. J. & K. (Gupta, J.) 1267

Earlier in this Judgment it has been stated that following a request A
1llllde by the Government of India 10 per cent of the seats in the Col-
lege was reserved for ~tudents from other States on reciprocal basis.
~··
This was a policy decision. However, the way the policy has been
worke(! is criticised by the writ petitioner in writ petition No. 29 of
1980, Miss Anita Jain. Pursuant to this policy 5 students from
Rajasthan and 1 from Andhra Pradesh were admitted to the Govern-
ment Medical College, J ammu. Miss Jain states that she was a
candidate for admission to the Medical College, Jammu, for the session
1919-80. On November 8, 1979 the Government of )ammu and
Kashmir informed her by a letter that she had been nominated for
tj admission to the first year M.B.B.S. course in one of the medical col-
l' ·1egei; in Madhya Pradesh. When she went to Bhopal for admission c
on the basis of the said letter she was refused admission on the ground
that the State of Jammu and Kashmir had not admitted nominees of
the Madhya Pradesh Government and unless they were admitted she
would not lie admitted to any medical college in the State of Madhya
Pradesh. Her grievance is that even after she had informed the Gov- D
ernment of Jammu and Kashmir of what had happened, the Govern-
ment did 11ot take 1111y step to get her admitted to any medical college
in the State or outside. It does not appear from the affidavits filed by
the State of Jammu and Kashmir if the candidates admitted to the
·Government Medical College, J ammu, from outside the State are
·equal in number to those from the State who have been nomil;ated for E
admission to outside institutions, anq on what basis the nominations,
whatever the number is, have been made. Anita Jain's case makes it
clear that the reciprocity policy, has not worked as it should have.
Miss Jain's counsel informed us that Miss Jain was willing to go to
aaiy State for admission to a medical college. Having npminated her
for admission to an outside institution, we do not think the Govern- F
\< ment can avoid responsibility now. We therefore direct the first res-
~ pondent, State of Jammu and Kashmir, to find her a seat in any medi-
•Cal college outside the State on the basis of reciprocity, unless as a
·result of our Judgment a few more seats are available in the medical
.college at Jammu and she is entitled to one of them on merit. For
disposing of this writ petition it is not necessary to· dilate on the prob- G
lems that failure of the reciprocity policy in Miss Jain's case brings to
prominence.

It now remains to deal with two more individl!'al cases, one of im-
proper nomination and the other of unjU:St rejection. In the list of
nominated candidates, the name of Harish Kumar appears against H
11erial No. 62. Nomination, as stated earlier, was to be made from
two classes of students--<:andidates from outside the State nf Jammu
1268 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1980] 3 s.c.R.

A and Kashmir and wards of Defence personnel (non-residents). There
is no dispute that Harish Kumar belongs to the State of Jammu and
Kashmir and it is not claimed that he falls in the other class. There
was therefore no basis on which .!:Iarish Kumar could be validly nomi-
nated. Mr. Kacker; counsel for the State of Jammu and Kashmir, also
did not try to justify Harish Kumar's' nomination. Harish Kumar's
B admission to the medical college must therefore be set aside.

The petitioner in writ petition No. 201 of 1980\Kulbhushan Gupta •
obtained 104 marks out of total 150 marks. Of the 31 candidates
who were selected on open competition, the one whose name appears
25th in order of merit got 103.25 marks out of f50. But Kulbhu-\.r
c shan Gupta was not selected on the plea that he had been selected '\.
earlier for Regional Engineering College. The notification dated Junec
' 21, 1979 by which applications were invited for admission to medical
college, Jammu, for the year 1979-80 includes to clauses Nos. 17 and
18 which are as follow : ·
D "17. The candidates, while applying for admission to the
M.B.B.S. Course, should specifically mention in their appli-
cation forms that they have not been selected/nominated by
the Govt. of J & K for any training course within or outside
the J & K State.
E 18. The candidates, who have already been selected by
any other selection committee constituted by the Govt. of
J & K for any other trainmg course within or outside the
State, are not eligible to apply or to appear for interview for
admission to this college. A candidate who tries to cheat
1 the Selection Committee on this account, will be disqualified
F and even if selected under false pretence will not be given
admission, or if he/she has secured admission, his/bee
admission will stand null and v<lid."
It was contended that in view of these conditions Ku!bhushan
Gupta was not eligible for selection though no objection was .n!ised
G when he appeared for interview. That he is a student of the Regional
Engineering College is not disputed, but it appears that he was not
selected or nominated by the Government of Jammu and E:as.hmir
for admission to the engineering. college nor was he selected by any
selection committee constituted by the Government of Jammu and
Kashmir. Clearly, therefore, the bar in clause 17 or clause 18 cannot
H apply to his case, and it must be held that he was improperly ~
admission to the Government Medical College, Jaminu. Kulbbusban
Gupta is entitled ~n merit to a seat in the College.
,NISHI MAGHU v. J. & K. (Gupta, !.) 1269

The conclusions we have reached on the various jssues ·do not A
.wlitra.rlt cancellation of the entire list of candidates
admitted to the
Gm>ilrilrl!ent Medical College, Jammu, for the 1979-80 session of the
}- M;B.B.S. conrse but call for a revision of the list. We therefore direct
JlS f(ifiows :-

( 1) As the classification made for "rectification of regional
imbalance" without identifying the areas of imbalance
•
has been held invalid, the seats reserved under this
head may be added to the quota of seats earmarked
for selection on the basis of merit and filled
accordingly.
c
Even if some of the candidates who have been
selected under this category were eligible for selec-
tion as candidates from areas adjoining actual line of
control or bad pockets, they cannot be accommodated
unless the percentage of seats reserved for these two
categories was raised. D
(2) As the selection of Shri Sanjay Pathania (No. 52 in
the list of selected candidates) under the category
"wards of medical college staff" has been set aside,
one more seat should therefore be added to the "open
merit"quota and filled accordingly. ' ·

(3) The Government must find a seat for the petitioner
in writ petition No. 29 of 1980. Miss Anita Jain,
who was nominated for admission to an outside inS-
titution, in any medical coilege outside the .State unless
as a result of the revision of the list of candidates F
admitted she finds a place in the Medical College,
Jammu, on the basis of merit.
{ 4) The admission of Harish Kumar (No. 62 in the list
of admitted candidates) has been set aside. To com-
, plete the quota of nominated candidates another can-
G
didate in his place may be nominated if the Govern-
ment so desiires.
I
(5) The petitioner in writ petition No. 201 of 1980
Kulbhushan Gupta, it has been found, was wrongly
refused admission. He is entitled on merit to a seat.

The writ petitions therefore sncceed to the extent indicated above.
[n the circumstances of the cases there will be no order as to cost!!.
1270 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1980] 3 S.C.R.

A We are conscious that revision of the list of selected candfdates at
this stage will not only cause hardship to the students who will be
excluded but some of those who might get into the list npw are also
likely to experience certain difficulties. We are also conscious that the
late revision of the list will create problems for the authorities but that,
we are afraid, cannot be helped. We hope ~e authorities will deal
& sympathetically with the cases where it may be possible for them to
render some help to the students in this situation and relax the rigour
of the rules to the utmost permissible extent for the purpose.
•
S.R. Petitions allowed.

i