SRINAGAR: Open Merit candidates have been left with just 137 of the 356 postgraduate medical seats in Jammu and Kashmir, while 219 seats have been earmarked for reserved categories, including 14 for candidates from Ladakh. The distribution means that Open Merit accounts for only 38.5 per cent of the available seats, against 61.5 per cent allocated to reserved categories.
The provisional selection list issued by the Jammu and Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (BOPEE) following the first round of counselling offers another indication of how the Open Merit pool is being utilised. Of the 134 allotments shown under the OM seat category in the list, 96 have gone to candidates who did not enjoy any reservation, while 38 are candidates belonging to reserved categories and carry an entry under Rule 17.
The 38 candidates comprise 27 from the Reserved Backward Area (RBA) category, six from Other Backward Classes (OBC), two from Scheduled Castes (SC), and one each from the Actual Line of Control (ALC), Scheduled Tribe-I and Scheduled Tribe-II categories. RBA candidates account for more than 71 per cent of these 38 entries.
The figures have brought renewed attention to the shrinking share of seats available in the Open Merit pool, particularly for candidates who do not belong to any reserved category. With the reservation allocation accounting for more than three-fifths of the seat matrix, the competition for the remaining seats is concentrated in a substantially smaller pool.
The distinction between the category of a candidate and the category of the seat allotted to that candidate is important in understanding the BOPEE list. A candidate belonging to a reserved category can qualify on merit against an Open Merit seat. Such a candidate is not selected against a reserved seat merely because of their social category; the selection is made on the basis of merit in the common pool.
Rule 17 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Rules, 2005, provides for a further adjustment in the allocation of postgraduate medical disciplines. A reserved-category candidate selected against an Open Merit seat may be considered for a discipline or stream available to that candidate in their own category, based on merit and preference.
Where the candidate opts for a reserved-category discipline, the corresponding discipline in the Open Merit pool is released and added to the pool of reserved-category candidates. The provision is intended to accommodate meritorious reserved-category candidates without denying them the opportunity to seek a discipline available in their respective category.
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has explained that Rule 17 operates during the first round of counselling. Vacancies arising later through non-joining or resignation are dealt with under the rules applicable to the respective categories. In its judgment in Sara Banoo v. Ayeda Jehan and Others, the Division Bench explained the relationship between Open Merit selection and the subsequent choice of a reserved-category discipline.
The 38 entries in the BOPEE list are therefore significant, but they should be read in the context of this adjustment mechanism. They represent reserved-category candidates selected in the Open Merit segment and marked for consideration under Rule 17; the final effect on the distribution of disciplines depends on how the provision is applied during counselling.
The larger issue, however, is the overall distribution of seats. With 219 seats assigned to reserved categories and only 137 placed in the Open Merit pool, candidates competing in the latter face a much narrower field. Open Merit is available to candidates from all categories on merit, but its limited share makes the number and distribution of seats particularly consequential for those whose own category does not provide a separate reserved pool.
The provisional list was issued through BOPEE Notification No. 250-BOPEE of 2026, dated November 3. The Board invited representations against the allotments and stated that a revised list would be issued if any genuine representation warranted a change.
The notification also clarified that the seat matrix for Government Medical College Kathua had initially shown 13 seats under the UT quota instead of nine, as 13 seats were meant for the All India Quota. The corrected matrix was uploaded after candidates had filled their choices.
