Is Scheduled Caste Reservation In Special Component Plan Colleges Bound By 50% Ceiling Limit? Supreme Court To Consider

The Supreme Court is set to examine the issue whether the reservation for Scheduled Castes in special educational institutions, which are established with the funds and schemes specifically earmarked for SCs, are bound by the rules of reservation applicable for ordinary colleges. 

The issue arose from a judgment of the Allahabad High Court which struck down the 70% SC reservation in four Special Component Plan (SCP) medical colleges in Uttar Pradesh on the ground that it exceeded the 50% ceiling limit.  A single bench of the High Court struck down the reservation, and a division bench, in the State's appeal, by an interim order, agreed with the single bench's view though suspended the implementation for the ongoing academic year 2025-2026.

Challenging the High Court's judgment, certain students approached the Supreme Court. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran issued notice on the Special Leave Petition.

During the hearing, the CJI remarked that the "reservations provided for the Scheduled Caste was 73%"

DrG Mohan Gopal, appearing for the petitioner, replied : "If you look at the issue from the perspective of 4 institutions out of 44, you will get that result. But if you look at the fact that this whole body of admissions is treated as one unit basically, and students are transferred from one college to another, and if you take the totality of the seats and the entitlement of the Scheduled Castes is 21% then you don't get 73%, you actually get close to 24-25%, including these additional 4 seats in these four colleges" 

Dr.Gopal, appearing probono for the SC students unseated by the High Court, stressed that students from the socio-economically backwards classes, including women, are facing a hostile academic environment; the SCP was implemented to curb this issue. He added that because so many women from the SC category were also facing hostility, there is a separate college having 100% reservation only for women. 

What Is The Special Component Plan? 

The Union launched the SCP in 1979 under Article 46 to promote educational upliftment of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes through specific schemes of scholarships, hostels, and exclusive institutions. 

 In 1986, Parliament established Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU), Lucknow, as a special central university dedicated to SC/ST advancement. In 2007, the Parliament established a second such university, the India Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU), Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh. Following its 2005–2010 review, the Planning Commission recommended special medical colleges under SCP funds.

In line with this, Uttar Pradesh established four Special Medical Colleges at Ambedkar Nagar, Kannauj, Jalaun, and Saharanpur, earmarking 70% of seats for SC candidates to ensure meaningful representation in professional education. Similar educational institutions are established in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana.  

These medical colleges were set up in and after 2011 under the Union's “Special Central Assistance to Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCA to SCSP) (now called Development Action Plan for SCs (DAPSC)" which can only be used for the SC community under central norms for such assistance. There are several medical colleges established across the country for SC community under this scheme. 

The plea stresses that the High Court erred in considering these colleges set up under the scheme of Article 46 as other ordinary colleges and applied the 50% ceiling as per the decision in Indra Sawhney v. Union of India, which only dealt with the issue of reservation in general institutions. 

Flagging serious concerns about the repercussions of the impugned order, the plea stated : 

"The impugned judgment, if upheld, will set a dangerous precedent. It will imperil not only the four SCP medical colleges in Uttar Pradesh but also similar institutions in other states, such as Karnataka, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu. It might also impact special hostels, scholarships, etc., institutions like BBAU and IGNTU created by Parliament, and open the floodgates to challenges against every SC/ST-targeted institution in the country." 

It further added, "Only this Hon'ble Court, under Article 136, can settle the law and reaffirm that Article 46, read with Articles 15(4), 15(5) and 25–30, authorises the State to create special institutions beyond the 50% ceiling applicable to ordinary colleges. Unless corrected, the impugned judgment will undo decades of affirmative policy and defeat the constitutional promise of equality." 

The plea was filed with the help of Advocate Raja Choudhary. 

Case Details : YUVRAJ SINGH AND ORS. Versus THE STATE OF U.P. AND ANR| Diary No. 51735-2025