OBC quota based on birth, not marriage or migration: HC

OBC quota based on birth, not marriage or migration: HC 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 02.04.2026

Bhopal : Madhya Pradesh high court has said that OBC reservation benefits cannot be claimed in the state on the basis of a caste certificate issued elsewhere, and that such benefits are determined by birth, not by marriage or change of residence. 

Dismissing a petition, the court upheld the cancellation of a candidate’s candidature during verification.The court also ruled that a woman cannot claim reservation benefits on the basis of her husband’s caste after marriage. The case pertains to Archana Dangi, a native of Jalaun in Uttar Pradesh, who had cleared the Higher Secondary Teacher Eligibility Test, 2018. Her candidature was cancelled during document verification as her OBC certificate had been issued in Uttar Pradesh. She argued that the Dangi caste is listed under the OBC category in both Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. 

She also submitted that after marriage she became a resident of Madhya Pradesh and should be eligible for reservation benefits in the state. Opposing the plea, the state govt told the court that caste is determined by birth and not by marriage or change of residence. It also said that a caste certificate issued in another state is not valid for claiming reservation in Madhya Pradesh. 

The court further noted that while a woman may socially be part of her husband’s caste after marriage, reservation benefits are based on social and educational backwardness linked to birth, not marital status