The Centre has opposed extending the "creamy layer" principle to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), telling the Supreme Court that reservations for these communities are rooted in historical and social discrimination rather than economic status alone. The government argued that the creamy layer doctrine has consistently been applied only to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and cannot be mechanically extended to SCs and STs.
In an affidavit filed before the apex court, the Centre said that caste-based discrimination faced by SCs and STs persists irrespective of an individual's economic advancement. It maintained that reservations for these communities are based on entrenched social exclusion, unlike OBC reservations, where the creamy layer principle was introduced to exclude the more socially and economically advanced sections from reservation benefits.
The government also opposed petitions seeking income-based preferences or sub-quotas within reserved categories, arguing that introducing economic criteria would fundamentally alter the constitutional framework governing reservations. According to the Centre, any such change would require a comprehensive review backed by empirical socio-economic data on beneficiaries from reserved communities rather than judicial intervention alone.
The Centre is opposing a reform that could help reservation benefits reach the poorest and most deprived families within reserved communities themselves. They first opposed in 2024 then 2025 and now 2026!
— Praffulgarg (@praffulgarg97) August 7, 2026
In 2024, a 7-judge Supreme Court Bench allowed sub-classification within… pic.twitter.com/cbuQQY226K
The Centre further submitted that reservation policies are intended to address historical disadvantages arising from caste, tribe and social backwardness, and not merely financial deprivation. It said that economic status cannot be the sole criterion for determining eligibility for reservation benefits in SC and ST categories.
Just hear him out. ?
— RESERVATION HATAO ANDOLAN (RHA) (@rhamovement_01) August 6, 2026
This lawyer exposed the UGC rules right before the Supreme Court. No fear, just facts. #EndReservation pic.twitter.com/bf6Hj0dRgU
The matter is being heard by the Supreme Court amid an ongoing debate over whether the creamy layer principle, currently applicable to OBC reservations, should also be introduced for SCs and STs. The Centre has urged the court to retain the existing legal position, arguing that extending the doctrine to SCs and STs would undermine the constitutional objective of addressing long-standing social discrimination.
