Overview

• A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi issued notice to the Centre on August 12 and directed it to file its reply by October 10.
• The PIL filed by Ramashankar Prajapati and Yamuna Prasad seeks to integrate economic criteria into SC/ST quotas without altering the overall reservation percentages.
• Petitioners propose applying a ‘creamy layer’-style exclusion to prevent relatively affluent SC/ST families from monopolising reserved opportunities.
• The court cautioned that reshaping SC/ST reservation policy is highly sensitive and would provoke substantial opposition.
• The petition also calls for scholarships, specialised training and entrepreneurship programmes to uplift the most economically disadvantaged within SC/ST communities.