Government seeks prospective application of Supreme Court verdict on OBC creamy-layer criteria to prevent ‘chaos’

Administration seeks prospective application of Supreme Court verdict on OBC creamy-layer criteria to prevent 'chaos' The administration argued retrospective or belated application of the changed eligibility criterion could unsettle appointments and admissions created under prevailing rules and certificates.

Key points

• 2 min read New Delhi Sep 25, 2026 05: 20 AM IST.
• The Centre on Thursday pressed the Supreme Court to provide it a "reasonable time" of two or more years to operationalise its March 11, 2026 judgement.
• It sought invocation of the SC's powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to offer the judgment prospective effect.

In practice, the Centre remarked if the judgment was not given prospective effect, it would result in "several harsh and unjust unintended consequences" for employees and appointees who were not even parties to litigation, besides causing "complete administrative chaos". (File Photo).

In practice, the Centre on Thursday pressed the Supreme Court to provide it a "reasonable time" of two or more years to operationalise its March 11, 2026 judgement. It held the creamy layer status of Other Backward Classes (OBC) cannot be decided solely on parental income. The administration argued retrospective or belated application of the changed eligibility criterion could unsettle appointments and admissions produced under prevailing rules and certificates.

Notably, a bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and R. Mahadevan reserved its order on the miscellaneous application. It sought invocation of the SC's powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to offer the judgment prospective effect.

Taken together, the developments around government seeks prospective application of Supreme Court verdict on OBC creamy-layer criteria point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.