MOHSIN MASOODI
“When Being Meritorious Isn’t Enough” The Strangling of Merit in J&K.
As 2026 dawns, the misery of unreserved or non-category students in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) persists unabated. Much has been discussed about reservations in J&K and their implications, but the core issue remains misunderstood by many.So let me try to simplify the complexities of the reservation system, highlighting how it disadvantages the general category (GC) or unreserved population, which constitutes the majority in the region.
Understanding the Reservation Framework:
Reservations in J&K are divided into two main types: vertical and horizontal. Vertical Reservations:
These are category-specific quotas allocated as follows:
Scheduled Castes (SC): 8%
Scheduled Tribes 1 (ST1): 10%
Scheduled Tribes 2 (ST2): 10%
Other Backward Classes (OBC): 8%
International Border/Area of Locust Control (IB/ALC): 4%
Residents of Backward Areas (RBA): 10%
Economically Weaker Sections (EWS): 10%
Scheduled Tribes of Kargil/Ladakh (STK/STL): 4%
Collectively, these vertical categories account for 64% of the total seats or opportunities. The remaining 36% is designated as Open Merit (OM). Horizontal Reservations:
Horizontal reservations operate separately and cut across both the vertical categories and the Open Merit quota. This includes:
Persons with disabilities and ex-servicemen: 10%
In practice, this 10% is deducted proportionally from the vertical categories and the Open Merit, further impacting the available shares.
The Reality of Open Merit:
Open Merit (OM), at 36%, is the portion for which both reserved and unreserved/GC candidates are eligible. This creates a skewed competition. For instance, suppose the cutoff for a competitive exam is 70 out of 100 marks. An unreserved GC candidate must score at least 70 to qualify for the OM list. However, a reserved candidate—who already benefits from their category quota—can also score 70 or above and claim a seat from the OM quota.This migration of high-scoring reserved candidates into OM effectively shrinks the GC/unreserved share from 36% to a mere 20-25% at maximum. In essence, unreserved/GC candidates from J&K are competing for only about 25% of the total opportunities, while 75% are effectively reserved. This underscores the formidable challenges faced by merit-driven students in the general category. Broader Implications Across Sectors:
This issue extends far beyond undergraduate admissions to professional courses like MBBS or engineering. Reservations permeate jobs, recruitments, and promotions in every sector.
What exacerbates the problem is the demographic reality:
According to the 2011 census, the GC/unreserved population in J&K is nearly 69%. Thus, approximately 70% of the population is vying for just 25% of the opportunities in all recruitments.Recent data from the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Postgraduate (NEET PG)—the medical entrance exam for specialty courses—illustrates this disparity starkly:
In NEET PG 2024, only 26% of selected students across J&K were from the GC/unreserved category. In NEET PG 2025, the figure remained dismal at 26-27%. Furthermore, in NEET PG, a GC/unreserved student might secure an MD in Medicine at a state rank of 37, while a reserved category student could achieve the same at a state rank of 300.Even after Ladakh’s separation from J&K, a 4% reservation continues to be extended to them in J&K under STK/STL. The Kashmir division, predominantly comprising the general category/unreserved population, faces systematic exclusion. This is tantamount to the marginalization of the ethnic Kashmiri-speaking population from key forums, including administration, healthcare, engineering, and bureaucracy.If this unjust reservation policy persists for the next 20 to 30 years, ethnic Kashmiri-speaking officers, doctors, engineers, or bureaucrats may become a rarity.
A Call for Balanced Reform:
Our stance as the GC/unreserved population (the majority in J&K)is clear and straightforward:
We are not opposed to reservations in principle. However, we vehemently oppose excessive reservations that reward mediocrity while sidelining meritocracy. It is time to reevaluate this system to ensure fairness, where merit is not murdered but celebrated. Comprehensive Rationalisation of reservation i.e cutting across all categories is the only way forward to ensure Merit is not marginalised.
The author hails from Rafiabad in North Kashmir presently pursuing MBBS from GMC KATHUA, can be reached at mohsinmasoodi321@gmail.com
