In a significant ruling on the question of portability of caste-based reservations, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has held that reservation benefits under the Backward Class (BC) category can only be claimed in the State of origin, not in the State of birth or subsequent residence.

The court dismissed a petition by a candidate seeking recruitment in Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) under the BC quota, ruling that his entitlement to reservation lay in Himachal Pradesh and not in Punjab.

Justice Harpreet Singh Brar, while dismissing the plea, categorically observed: “The petitioner can only claim the reservation for persons belonging to the BC category in the State of Himachal Pradesh, which was the permanent abode of the father of the petitioner since its creation in the

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