Creamy layer

About: Creamy layer is a term used in Indian politics to refer to some members of a backward class who are highly advanced socially as well as economically and educationally. They constitute the forward section of that particular backward class – as forward as any other forward class member.

Detail: To begin with, reservation did not have any riders in terms of income and caste was the sole criterion. The concept of ‘creamy layer’ was introduced by the Supreme Court in 1993 through the judgement it delivered in the Indira Sawhney case. In its judgment, the top court ruled that the exclusion of such socially advanced members…will make the ‘class’ a truly backward class.”