BharatNotes
Creamy Layer
/ˈkriːmi ˈleɪər/The socially advanced and economically well-off section within the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) that is excluded from the benefits of OBC reservation, as mandated by the Supreme Court in Indra Sawhney vs Union of India (1992) — to ensure that reservation benefits reach the genuinely backward sections within the OBCs.
Context & Background
The income ceiling for the creamy layer is periodically revised by the government (currently Rs 8 lakh per annum for central government purposes); the concept does not apply to SCs and STs (their inclusion is based on the Presidential notification, not economic criteria); the Jarnail Singh case (2018) introduced the idea of applying creamy layer to SC/ST promotions.
UPSC Exam Relevance
GS2 (Polity — Social Justice). Prelims: tested on the origin (Indra Sawhney, 1992), the income threshold, and its applicability (OBCs only, not SC/ST for general reservation). Mains: asked to critically analyse whether the creamy layer concept is effective in ensuring equitable distribution of reservation benefits.
