The Supreme Court on Tuesday held that national interest dictates that merit supersedes reservations as the criteria for admissions to higher educational institutions, reported The Indian Express. Delivering its judgment on petitions which challenged an eligibility criteria for admissions into super-specialty medical courses in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, the two-judge bench of Justices Dipak Misra and PC Pant noted that “there should really be no reservation” since it would improve the general standard of higher education.

The court said, “We reiterate the aspirations of others so that authorities can objectively assess and approach the situation so that the national interest can become paramount.” The court also advised authorities to refrain from relaxing the eligibility criteria basing it on various kinds of reservation, and asked the states and the central government to seriously consider the matter and take appropriate steps.