The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the constitutional validity of 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in central government jobs and promotions in a landmark 4-1 majority ruling. The five-judge Constitution Bench, headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, dismissed a batch of petitions challenging the policy, ruling that the reservation is consistent with Articles 15(4) and 16(4) of the Constitution and does not violate the 50% ceiling when applied correctly.
The court clarified that the creamy layer exclusion principle must be applied rigorously to prevent the benefits from being monopolised by relatively better-off sections within the OBC community. Attorney General R. Venkataramani appearing for the Centre argued that OBC representation in Group A services remains far below their population share. The ruling is expected to benefit approximately 45 lakh OBC candidates currently in government services and lakhs of future aspirants in competitive examinations.