Big relief for 2012 Civil Service aspirants as SC rules on OBC status

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has ruled that a parent’s salary should not be the criterion for determining whether a candidate belongs to the OBC ‘creamy layer’ or ‘non-creamy layer.’ Instead, the Court emphasised that social status must be the deciding factor.

A bench comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and R. Mahadevan clarified that social status is determined by the professional rank and position of the parents, rather than their specific salary figures.

Justice for 2012 Civil Service Candidates

The ruling provides significant relief to OBC candidates who appeared for the 2012 Civil Services Examination. Despite their high performance, several candidates were wrongly classified into the creamy layer and subsequently denied appointments.

The legal battle began when affected candidates from Kerala, Delhi, and Tamil Nadu approached their respective High Courts. After receiving favorable verdicts at the state level, the Central Government challenged these decisions. The Supreme Court has now dismissed the Center’s appeal, upholding the candidates' right to non-creamy layer benefits.