SC admits petition challenging creamy layer criteria for quota

The Supreme Court on Monday admitted a bunch of petitions challenging the Centre’s decision to fix Rs 4.50 lakh as the minimum annual income for the people among Other Backward Classes (OBCs) to be regarded as “creamy layer” or elite who would not be eligible for various benefits.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia decided to examine the rationale behind the Centre’s October 13, 2008, order that raised the income criterion to Rs. 450,000 from Rs.250,000.
While admitting the petitions challenging the income criteria for determining the creamy layer, the Bench, also comprising Justices K S Radhakrihnan and Swatanter Kumar, asked the Centre to put on affidavit the assumptions on the basis of inflation etc that was considered for determining the figure Rs 4.50 lakhs.
The apex court had on December 15, 2008, issued a notice to the Centre on the petitions challenging the revision of the income criterion for determining creamy layer among Other Backward for admission to educational institutions.