Now Reading: Centre Opposes Creamy Layer Rule for SC, ST Quotas
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Centre Opposes Creamy Layer Rule for SC, ST Quotas
The Centre has told the Supreme Court that the creamy layer principle does not apply to reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. In an affidavit, the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry…
The Story in Brief
The Centre has told the Supreme Court that the creamy layer principle does not apply to reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. In an affidavit, the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry opposed public interest litigation seeking income-based preferences within these quotas and policies for a more equitable system in government jobs.
The government said the principle, created in the 1992 Mandal verdict, concerns OBC and SEBC reservations. It cited the Constitution bench ruling in Ashoka Kumar Thakur, which held that creamy layer rules do not apply to SCs and STs. The Centre also said any policy change requires socio-economic data and that courts cannot direct the executive to frame reservation policy.
The Indian Opinion
The lazy claim that reservation benefits automatically reach the poorest is not proved here, just as the claim that income alone can identify disadvantage is incomplete. Caste exclusion, representation and poverty do not always overlap. The Centre is right to demand evidence before changing policy, but its position should not end scrutiny of who benefits and who remains excluded. The useful test is a public, category-wise study of beneficiaries, representation and outcomes before Parliament or the court settles the issue.
Source: timesnownews.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
