JOIN USA Bench of Justices R V Raveendran and A K Patnaik issued notices to the Centre and state governments on the petition, seeking direction to introduce the premise of creamy layer in reservation meant for SC/STs.
The petitioner, O P Shukla, said that the benefits of reservation were not percolating down to the real and genuine beneficiaries, thereby defeating the very purpose of it.
Senior advocate Balaji Srinivasan, appearing for the petitioner, referred to various surveys conducted by state governments pointing out that there were affluent castes within SC and ST.
“As early as 1965, the Lokur Committee recommended exclusion of certain advanced castes/tribes. It was also pointed out by the committee that vested interests had emerged within SCs and STs as a result of concessions given to them,” the petition said, adding the Centre was unjustified in not extending the principles of creamy layer to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes.