New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday made important comments regarding the reservation benefits given to the creamy layer among the backward classes. The court raised the question whether the next generation of economically and educationally prosperous families should continue to get the benefits of reservation. The court said that when the family has reached a socially and economically strong position, then the need for reservation should be reconsidered.
Case related to candidate from Kuruba community
This comment was made by Justice B.V. A bench of Justice Nagarathna and Justice Ujjwal Bhuyan said this during the hearing of a petition. The case pertained to a candidate from the Kuruba community of Karnataka, which has been placed in backward class category II(A) in the state. The candidate was selected for the post of Assistant Engineer in Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited, but the District Caste and Income Verification Committee refused to issue caste validity certificate considering him to belong to the high income group.
During the hearing, Justice Nagarathna said that education and economic empowerment changes the status of a person in the society and brings social mobility. He questioned that if both the parents of a child are IAS officers, are earning good income and have a strong position in the society then why should their next generation need reservation.
What did the court say?
The court said that the purpose of reservation is to bring socially and educationally backward people into the mainstream. But if a family has already achieved higher education and better government positions by taking advantage of reservation, then it is important to see whether their next generation still falls in the same category or not.
Justice Nagarathna also said that there is a need to adopt a balanced approach on this issue. He said that social backwardness is a real problem, but when the economic and educational status of a family becomes stronger then the eligibility for reservation should be reconsidered.
This comment of the Supreme Court has started a new debate regarding the creamy layer and reservation system. The court indicated that to ensure that the benefits of the reservation policy actually reach the needy and backward classes, it is necessary to review the eligibility from time to time.
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