Dalit Shoshan Appeals to President Murmu to Block ‘Creamy Layer’ Proposal for SC/ST Reservations

New Delhi: The Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch has written to president Droupadi Murmu expressing concern over a recent hearing in the Supreme Court of India that asked the Central Government to define criteria for identifying creamy layer among Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) for possible exclusion from reservation benefits. The court has granted six weeks to the Centre to submit its response.

The organisation referred to the Supreme Court’s August 2024 judgment in the State of Punjab vs. Devinder Singh case, where the majority view held that the creamy layer principle does not apply to SC and ST communities. Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch noted that this ruling had clarified the inapplicability of the concept to these historically marginalised groups.

The organization argued that extending the creamy layer principle to SCs and STs would undermine the constitutional objective of social justice. It stated that members of these communities continue to face discrimination, violence, humiliation, and untouchability irrespective of their economic status.

The letter emphasised that economic progress within SC and ST communities remains limited and uneven. Even individuals who have benefited from reservations, it said, continue to encounter caste-based discrimination. Excluding sections of these communities from reservation benefits on economic grounds, the organisation argued, would therefore be unjust.

Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch has urged the President to intervene and ensure the dismissal of petitions seeking the introduction of the creamy layer principle for SCs and STs. It has also called upon the Central Government to oppose such measures before the Supreme Court. Additionally, the organisation stressed the need for stronger implementation of existing reservation policies in public employment and educational institutions to achieve genuine social and economic justice.