This decision, Justice C. Hari Shankar noted, aims to promote fresher talent equipped with the most current knowledge, while still providing opportunities for older students by reserving 20 per cent of the seats for them.

The ruling came in response to a plea by a student named Vaibhav, who challenged the validity of Clause 12 of JNU’s admission policy for the 2023-2024 academic session.

Vaibhav, who completed his Class 12 in 2021, argued that this clause unfairly prevented him from being admitted to the Chinese course due to his Code II status, which is assigned to students who did not complete their Class 12 in the year of admission or the year prior.

Justice Shankar dismissed the plea, stating that JNU's policy did not infringe any statutory provisions and that the distinction made between recent and older graduates constitutes an "intelligible differential".

The court said that the policy is neither arbitrary nor whimsical, as it serves a logical and beneficial academic purpose, namely ensuring that students entering the programme are as up-to-date as possible in their knowledge, which is crucial for collegiate studies.