What happened: Supreme Court petitions on SC/ST “creamy layer” exclusion

SC/ST-related petitions before the Supreme Court seek clarity on whether “creamy layer” exclusion can operate within Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) reservations. Supreme Court notices are directed toward obtaining the Union government’s position and information on actions taken after the Supreme Court’s August 2024 judgment in Davinder Singh.

The Union government’s reiteration in the Supreme Court proceedings is that “creamy layer” exclusion is not applicable to SC and ST classifications. The petitions therefore focus on whether the Union government’s approach should be reconsidered, and what the government has done after Davinder Singh.

The controversy is also connected in public debate with “Reservation Hatao Andolan,” which argues for abolishing caste-based socio-economic reservation categories and moving toward income-based reservation.

Background: Davinder Singh (August 2024) on heterogeneity and state sub-categorisation

Related current affairs