In 2018, Supreme Court had said that well-off members of SC?ST communities can't be granted reservation
The Centre today urged the Supreme Court that its 2018 verdict excluding the creamy layer within the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes or SC/ST communities from reservation benefits be referred to a seven-judge bench for review.
A five-judge Constitution bench in 2018 had held that the well-off members of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribe communities, who are also termed creamy layer, cannot be granted the benefits of reservation in college admissions and government jobs.
A bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde, which was hearing a batch of PILs on the issue, said the question whether the aspect of exclusion of creamy layer among SC/ST can be referred to a larger bench or not will be dealt with after two weeks.
The fresh petition has been filed by Samta Andolan Samiti and one OP Shukla, a former IAS officer.
One of the PILs has sought a direction to "evolve an objective and rational test for identification of the creamy layer among SC/STs and separating the same from the non-creamy layer SC/ST".