Parental Salary Alone Can’t Decide OBC Creamy Layer Status

In an important judgment, the Supreme Court has held that ‘creamy layer’ status for reservation under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category cannot be determined solely on the basis of parental income, without reference to the posts and status held by the parents in their organisations.

Dismissing a batch of appeals filed by the Union of India, a bench comprising Justice PS Narasimha and Justice R Mahadevan granted relief to several UPSC candidates, who were denied appointments despite clearing the Civil Service Examinations, as they were wrongly included in the creamy layer category.(updated on 12th March 2026)