The Rajasthan High Court has ruled that a woman with ST status in Gujarat cannot claim ST reservation for a Nursing Officer job in Rajasthan.
ST stands for Scheduled Tribe. It is a category that gets reserved seats and jobs in government recruitment.
The ruling was given on 5 November 2026 by a division bench at Jodhpur.
The woman's caste is listed as ST in Gujarat. After marrying a man of the same caste who lived in Rajasthan, she moved there.
She applied for a Nursing Officer post in the State's Medical and Health Department, claiming ST reservation.
Key points
- The Rajasthan High Court dismissed her special appeal on 5 November 2026.
- The advertisement said a reserved-category candidate who migrates to Rajasthan is treated as General Category.
- The same caste name being on Rajasthan's ST list did not change the result.
- The ruling does not cover Rajasthan's own ST candidates or central government jobs.
So why was she treated as a General Category candidate?
During the recruitment, her candidature was rejected in the ST category. She was considered in the General Category instead.
The State said the advertisement itself carried this condition. It relied on two Supreme Court judgments on this point.
The bench quoted the Supreme Court. It said a person who migrates does not carry special rights from the original state.
What did the court say about the same caste name?
The bench also quoted another Supreme Court judgment.
It said a caste's hardship in one state may be totally absent in another state.
So the same caste name in two states does not transfer one state's reservation benefits.
The bench held her appeal had no force and dismissed it.
The order does not say whether she got the Nursing Officer post as a General Category candidate.
What does this ruling not cover?
The reasoning applies to ST candidates from another state who apply under the migration condition.
This is true even when the caste is also on Rajasthan's ST list.
It does not change anything for Rajasthan's own ST candidates. It also does not deal with central government jobs.
Explainer
What happened before
- A single judge of the Rajasthan High Court rejected her claim on 23 September 2025.
- She had married a man of the same caste who lived in Rajasthan, then moved there and applied for a Nursing Officer post.
- The State's Medical and Health Department treated her as a General Category candidate during the recruitment.
Why it matters
The ruling shows how reservation applies when a candidate moves from another state to Rajasthan for a job.
What to watch next
- The ruling does not apply to Rajasthan's own ST candidates or to central government jobs.
