Court Rules That Pre-Marriage Scholarship Cannot Disqualify Spouse; Directs Reassessment of Application
In a significant judgment delivered on January 15, 2026, the Rajasthan High Court's Jaipur Bench, presided over by Justice Anuroop Singhi, quashed the rejection of a scholarship application under the Swami Vivekananda Scholarship for Academic Excellence Scheme. The writ petition, filed by Devendra Kumar Kothari on behalf of his son Prakhar Kothari, challenged the rejection grounded on Prakhar's wife having previously availed the same scholarship before their marriage.
The court found the rejection of Prakhar Kothari's application unwarranted, emphasizing that the interpretation of "family" within the scholarship scheme should align with its objective to provide educational opportunities to deserving students without economic barriers. The rejection was initially based on a clause that allowed only one member per family to avail of the scholarship. However, the court clarified that since Prakhar's wife, Aarushi Asawa, received the scholarship before their marriage, she was not part of his family at the time of receiving the grant. Therefore, her scholarship should not affect Prakhar's eligibility.
Justice Singhi highlighted that the scheme's purpose is to aid meritorious students in pursuing higher education, and any interpretation that hinders this objective is contrary to the scheme's intent. The court referenced a similar case, Aaradhya Jain v. State of Rajasthan, reinforcing that beneficial schemes should be construed liberally to fulfill their purpose.
The court's decision mandates that the respondents reassess Prakhar's application on its merits, independent of the previous rejection. This ruling underscores the judiciary's role in ensuring that administrative interpretations do not undermine the objectives of welfare schemes.
Bottom Line:
Scholarship Scheme - Rejection of application for scholarship on the ground that the applicant's wife had already availed the scholarship under the same scheme prior to marriage - Held, such rejection is unwarranted as scholarship granted to a person prior to marriage cannot render her spouse ineligible post marriage - Interpretation of "family" must align with the object and purpose of the scheme.
Statutory provision(s): Scholarship Scheme, Clause 9(ii)
