# Centre seeks two-year delay for OBC creamy layer ruling

2026-09-25T03:52:20+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved judgment on the Centre's plea to give prospective effect to its March 11 verdict on OBC creamy layer criteria. The government has sought a two-year window to implement the ruling, arguing that retrospective application from 2012 could unsettle recruitments, admissions, and seniority of civil servants. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati told a bench of Justices Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and R. Mahadevan that the change in eligibility criteria could create administrative chaos. The March 11 judgment held that parents' salary alone cannot determine creamy layer exclusion for OBC reservation. The court ruled that the status and category of the parent's job, along with an income or wealth test, must be considered. The Centre's application says it needs time to establish equivalence of posts across PSUs, banks, universities, and private entities with government posts, after consulting stakeholders. The government has not sought to dilute the verdict but only defer its operationalisation.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

All three sources report the Centre's plea neutrally, focusing on the government's administrative concerns. Times of India leads with the chaos argument and the cascading effect on civil services. Times Now emphasises the court agreeing to examine the plea. LiveLaw provides the most legal detail, including the 5.69 lakh vacancies at stake and the 1993 office memorandum. The uniform framing suggests the story is still procedural. The bench reserved judgment, the next step is the court's order on the timeline.

## Coverage

- timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/centre-pleads-for-prospective-effect-of-sc-creamy-layer-ruling/articleshow/134472256.cms>
  Leads with Centre's plea for prospective effect, no editorial slant
- timesnownews.com (neutral report) <https://www.timesnownews.com/india/centre-seeks-prospective-application-of-sc-verdict-on-obc-creamy-layer-criteria-article-156221005>
  Reports SC agreeing to examine plea, factual procedural update
- livelaw.in (neutral report) <https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/supreme-court-reserves-judgment-on-centres-plea-seeking-propsective-application-for-judgment-on-obc-creamy-layer-551731>
  Comprehensive legal details, straight news agency style reporting

Tags: Aishwarya Bhati, central government, creamy layer, OBC, Supreme Court
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