The court was hearing a petition filed by Rutuja Wankhede on July 6, after which she approached the Directorate of Medical Education and Research for admission under the ST category. Since the DMER could not offer any help to her, she approached the High court.
Dismissing her petition, Justices DY Chandrachud and RD Dhanuka observed that the claim as a reserved category candidate cannot be made subsequently since these rules are put in place to streamline the process of admission and operate uniformly with respect to all candidates, including those belonging to the reserved category.
The court said the government authorities were justified in taking the view that the relevant rules prohibit Wankhed's claim for subsequent accommodation under the reserved category. It held that "The petitioner appeared for CET as an open category candidate and her claim will have to be considered on that basis".