Introduction
A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, in Aryan Raj v.
Chandigarh Administration and Ors. (Civil Appeal No. 2718 of
2020) allowed the Petition filed by an intellectually
challenged individual, against the decision of the Punjab and
Haryana High Court and held that "people suffering from
disabilities are also socially backward, and are therefore, at the
very least, entitled to the same benefits as given to the Scheduled
Castes/Scheduled Tribes candidate." The Supreme Court
thereby affirmed an earlier decision of the Delhi High Court in
Anamol Bhandari (Minor) through his Father/Natural Guardian v
Delhi Technical University 2012 (131) DRJ 583 (DB).
Background
Appellant was intellectually challenged who applied for a
Diploma Course in Fine Arts offered by the Respondent-College. The
eligibility criteria to enroll for the said course was
different for the physically/mentally challenged and SC/ST
candidates since a further relaxation of 5% was
