Impact Of Reservation Policy On General Category Students: A Study Of Admission Cut- Offs, Seat Availability And Psychological Stress In Competitive Examinations
- IJLLR Journal
- 13 hours ago
- 2 min read
Mandip Kaur, LL.B, LL.M.,Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University, Bareilly (U.P.) India.
ABSTRACT
India’s reservation policy, rooted in Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution and expanded by the Constitution (One Hundred and Third Amendment) Act, 2019, seeks to promote substantive equality by providing quotas for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and Economically Weaker Sections. While the policy has advanced social justice for historically marginalised communities, its implementation has generated significant reverse inequities for general category students in high-stakes competitive examinations such as NEET-UG, JEE (Main & Advanced) and UPSC Civil Services Examination. This research paper examines the impact of reservation on general category aspirants through three interrelated dimensions: admission cut-offs, seat availability and psychological stress. Employing doctrinal legal analysis of constitutional provisions and landmark Supreme Court judgments (Indra Sawhney v. Union of India and Janhit Abhiyan v. Union of India), alongside empirical data from the National Testing Agency (NTA), Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), IITs and UPSC (2025 cycle), the study reveals stark disparities. General category students consistently face substantially higher qualifying and admission cut- offs (often 100–500 marks higher in NEET and 30–40 percentile points in JEE) while competing for a reduced open-category pool of approximately 40.5% seats under the All-India Quota (and lower in several states). These structural constraints have intensified rank inflation and engendered profound psychological stress, evidenced by elevated Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) scores, increased anxiety, depression, learned helplessness and suicide trends in coaching hubs. The paper argues that while affirmative action remains constitutionally indispensable, its present framework requires urgent recalibration through stricter creamy layer exclusion, foundational education equity, periodic quota review and mandatory mental health support to harmonise merit, equity and psychological well-being without diluting social justice objectives.
Keywords: Reservation Policy, General Category Students, Admission Cut- offs, Seat Availability, Psychological Stress, Competitive Examinations, Affirmative Action, Constitutional Law, Mental Health, NEET-JEE-UPSC.
