New Delhi, Mar 12: In a landmark verdict shaking up OBC reservation rules, the Supreme Court slammed the door on judging “creamy layer” status purely by parents’ income, calling it unconstitutional and discriminatory—while upholding High Court wins for civil services aspirants denied their Non-Creamy Layer (NCLR) perks.
A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and R Mahadevan junked Union appeals, ruling that treating PSU/private sector kids harsher than government employees’ wards reeks of “hostile discrimination.” “Income from salaries alone can’t decide creamy vs non-creamy—post, status, and holistic factors matter,” they stressed, nodding to the 1993 Office Memo’s intent but shredding the 2004 salary inclusion tweak.
The creamy layer exclusion isn’t mere policy—it’s a constitutional must to ensure quotas reach truly backward OBCs, not elite pockets siphoning benefits. The 1993 OM wisely skipped salary and agri income from the test, but the 2004 letter wrongly roped in PSU/private pay, triggering unfair denials.
Civil services aspirants hit hardest: CAT had ordered reallocations for those wrongly bumped to creamy layer; now Delhi, Madras, and Kerala High Courts stand vindicated—UPSC merit lists may need reshuffling. Aspirants celebrate a fairer IAS shot, while the government braces for policy tweaks amid raging quota debates
