OBC creamy layer: Why Centre is seeking clarity for CSE 2025 from Supreme Court

The Supreme Court recently agreed to hear the Centre's plea questioning whether its March 2026 verdict on the OBC creamy layer criteria applies to the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2025. The dispute stems from a 2026 ruling that stated salary income alone cannot be the basis for excluding OBC children from reservation benefits.

The Centre argues that the CSE-2025 process had largely concluded before the judgment was delivered and seeks clarity on whether the ruling can impact a recruitment cycle whose results have already been declared. The OBC creamy layer case began in 2004 when the Department of Personnel and Training clarified a 1993 Memorandum, adding salary income from PSUs and private sectors to the creamy layer definition.

This change, implemented from CSE-2015, has led to around 100 candidates clearing the CSE but finding their OBC claims rejected on creamy layer grounds. The Supreme Court ruled in March 2026 that income cannot be the sole criterion for determining creamy layer status, emphasizing that unequal treatment of similarly placed OBC candidates would violate the equality doctrine under Articles 14, 15 and 16.