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Supreme Court: creamy layer verdict cannot reopen past appointments
వార్తల్లో ఎందుకు?
Who is excluded from OBC quota? The creamy layer rule and Indra Sawhney link for GS2
SC says creamy layer ruling will not undo past appointments.
Why it matters: general awareness
What you need to know
2 నిమి
The Supreme Court has held that its creamy layer ruling cannot be used to reopen appointments already made.
The creamy layer concept excludes the advanced sections among Other Backward Classes from reservation benefits.
మూలాలు: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)
ముఖ్య వాస్తవాలు
Remember these
- The Supreme Court held its creamy layer ruling cannot be used to reopen appointments already made.
- The creamy layer excludes the advanced sections among Other Backward Classes from reservation benefits.
- The creamy layer principle for OBCs was laid down in Indra Sawhney v. Union of India (1992).
- Reservation for backward classes in public employment flows from Article 16(4) of the Constitution.
- The creamy layer exclusion applies to OBCs; it does not apply to SCs and STs in the same way.
ప్రిలిమ్స్ · మెయిన్స్
How the exam will ask it
ప్రిలిమ్స్
- The creamy layer concept excludes the socially and economically advanced members of Other Backward Classes from reservation benefits.
- The creamy layer principle for OBCs was evolved by the Supreme Court in Indra Sawhney v. Union of India (1992).
- Article 16(4) enables the State to provide reservation in appointments for backward classes not adequately represented in services.
- A judicial ruling on the creamy layer, as per the Supreme Court, does not unsettle appointments already made.
మెయిన్స్
GS2 (Polity and Judiciary): Reservation policy must balance social justice with equity. The creamy layer, evolved in Indra Sawhney (1992) to target real beneficiaries under Article 16(4), is being refined by courts, while the principle of finality protects past appointments from reopening. Way forward: clear, periodically revised criteria and prospective application of rulings, so that benefits reach the deserving without causing uncertainty for those already appointed.
Quick recall
Answer before you reveal
Consider the following statements about NITI Aayog:
- It replaced the Planning Commission in 2015.
- It is a constitutional body.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
సమాధానం చూడండి
సమాధానం: A — Correct answer: 1 only. NITI Aayog replaced the Planning Commission in January 2015 through an executive resolution; it is not a constitutional body.
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