The debate has once again intensified in the country regarding the limit of reservation and the creamy layer. The Supreme Court on Friday (May 22, 2026) raised the question in the hearing regarding OBC reservation and creamy layer that if both the parents of the candidate are IAS officers, then why should he get the benefit of reservation.

Justice B. The bench of V. Nagarathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuinya said that apart from economic, social conditions should also be considered in reservation. These comments have been made by Justice BV Nagarathna. In the petition, questions were raised on the rule in which it was said that it was wrong to make the job of the parents a basis for placing children in the creamy layer category.

The court said that it does not seem right to ask for reservation for the children of IAS officers. However, despite these comments, the Supreme Court issued notice accepting the petition for hearing. The Supreme Court is hearing petitions in which reservation has been demanded for creamy layer candidates of backward class.

Justice B. V. Nagarathna has made very important comments during this period. He said, ‘The candidate’s parents are IAS officers and are in government jobs. They are in good condition. Now that the government has excluded these people from reservation, these people are raising questions on it.

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The court said, ‘With educational and economic empowerment also comes social stability. If we still demand reservation for children, then we will never get relief from it. We have to pay attention to this. Senior advocate Shashank Ratnu, appearing in the case, said that the people who have raised this issue have been excluded from reservation on the basis of their social status and not on the basis of salary. Demanding a thorough investigation, he said that it is necessary to differentiate between the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and the Creamy Layer. On this, Justice Nagarathna said that EWS does not talk about social backwardness but only about economic backwardness.

Shashank Ratanu argued that the norms in the case of creamy layer should be more liberal than those of EWS. He said that if both the sections are seen in the same way then there will be no difference between them. Justice Nagarathna said that it is important to maintain balance. He said that even if a person is educationally or economically backward, the situation changes when his parents achieve a certain level by taking advantage of reservation. After this, the court issued a notice and sought answers from the concerned parties.

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OBC reservation has always been a big and controversial issue in the politics of West Bengal, but now it has taken a historic turn. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has reduced the state’s OBC reservation from 17 percent to 7 percent. The most shocking thing is that under this decision, OBC reservation for Muslim communities has been completely abolished. The government has restored the original OBC list before 2010, which included only 66 castes and these castes will now get only 7 percent reservation. This decision was taken after the first cabinet meeting of the new government and with this the OBC categories (OBC-A and OBC-B) created on the basis of religion in the state have been completely abolished. What is this whole matter after all?

What was the system before 2010?

Till 2010, West Bengal’s OBC list included only 66 castes, which were created entirely on the basis of social and economic backwardness. This list was prepared after many years of study and recommendations of the Commission and genuine backward class communities were included in it.

How did Left Front and Trinamool change the equations after 2010?

After this the political game started. In September 2010, just before the assembly elections, the Left Front government included 42 new castes in the OBC list and also divided the reservation into two categories: 10% reservation for Category-A (extremely backward) and 7% for Category-B (backward).

After coming to power in May 2012, Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress government took it further and added 35 more castes to the OBC list. Together, these two governments included a total of 77 new castes in the OBC list, out of which 75 belonged to the Muslim community. In this way, OBC reservation in the state became 17% (10% for Category-A and 7% for Category-B) and about 80% of the Muslim population of the state came under this reservation.

How did Calcutta High Court catch this ‘game’?

The biggest turning point in this entire matter came on 22 May 2024, when the Calcutta High Court gave a historic verdict. The bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Rajashekhar Mantha canceled the reservation of 77 castes included in the OBC list after 2010, terming it illegal and unconstitutional.

The court said in its decision, ‘Religion is the only criterion for declaring these communities as OBC.’ The court also said that this reservation was given for political purposes, which is an insult to democracy and the entire community. Not only this, the court clarified that the OBC status given to the communities was given in a hurry because it was an election promise of Mamata Banerjee and unconstitutional method was adopted to fulfill it as soon as she gained power.

Due to this decision, about 12 lakh OBC certificates issued after 2010 were cancelled. However, the court also made it clear that the services of those who have already taken advantage of this reservation and got jobs will not be affected by this decision.

Mamata Banerjee’s protest and legal battle

Mamata Banerjee took a very strict stand against the decision of the High Court. She said, ‘I will not accept this order of the court, I will not accept it, I will not accept it…’ Her government challenged this decision in the Supreme Court. There was a period of legal turmoil in the Supreme Court. First, the Supreme Court stayed the High Court order and allowed the state government to implement the 17% OBC quota. But in August 2024, Justice Kaushik Chanda of Calcutta High Court ordered in a JEE case that only the old OBC quota formula of 2010 (7%) will be applicable. After this, the Supreme Court bench of three judges gave permission to the state government to implement the 17% quota.

What did Shubhendu government do now?

After the change of power in the 2026 assembly elections, the first major decision taken by the BJP government led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari was regarding OBC reservation. The government took 5 big steps:

1. Petition withdrawn: First of all, the new government withdrew the petition filed by the Mamata Banerjee government in the Supreme Court, in which the High Court’s decision was challenged.
2. Old list restored: On May 19, 2026, the Backward Classes Welfare Department issued a notification restoring the pre-2010 OBC list, which included only 66 castes.
3. Reservation reduced: Total OBC reservation was reduced from 17% to 7%.
4. Religion-based categories eliminated: The religion-based categories of OBC-A and OBC-B were completely abolished.
5. Muslim community out: The new list removed 74 sub-castes, most of which were Muslims. Now only three Muslim communities – Pahadia, Hajjam and Chaudali are included in the OBC list.

Apart from this, many traditional and social communities like Kapali, Kurmi, Barber (Nepit), Tanti, Dhanuk, Butcher, Khandait, Turha, Paharia Muslim, Devanga, Hajjam (Muslim), Goala, Sutradhar, Karmakar, Swarnakar etc. are included in the new list.

How big is the impact of this decision?

This decision can have 4 major impacts:

• Affected Certificates: After the High Court’s decision, about 12 lakh OBC certificates issued after 2010 were cancelled.
• Beneficiary: Under the previous system, about 80% of the Muslim population of the state used to get the benefit of OBC reservation, which will now end.
• Impact on education: After the new notification, the Education Department has increased the OBC quota to 7% in the centralized admission portal. “We are following the state order in all matters of admission and establishment,” said Debajyoti Konar, registrar of Presidency University.
• Socio-Economic Impact: Experts believe that this decision will bring a big change in the caste equations in the state. OBC researchers say that there was a slight improvement in the presence of Muslims in jobs like higher education, police force and teaching, but now they will have to fight in the general category, due to which their representation may fall rapidly.

On this, Suvendu government says that this decision has been taken in compliance with the order of Calcutta High Court of May 2024. The government argues that previous governments included Muslims in the OBC list for ‘vote bank politics’, due to which the genuinely backward Hindu communities were deprived of the benefits of reservation.

At the same time, TMC has described this decision as ‘anti-Muslim’ and ‘against social justice’. BJP has called it ‘end of appeasement politics’.

Former top civil servant and expert Jawahar Sarkar said the impact of a large number of Muslims being left out of the OBC list is likely to be more political than socio-economic.

Political issue is bigger than reservation

This whole matter is not just about reservation, but about politics. In 2010, the Left Front and in 2012, TMC included Muslim communities in the OBC list for electoral gains. In 2024, the Calcutta High Court declared it unconstitutional. The new BJP government made this its election promise in 2026 and implemented it as soon as it came to power.

According to the notification issued by the Union Law Ministry, the Women’s Reservation Act 2023 has come into force from Thursday (April 16), the notification of which has been issued by the government. However, it is not yet clear why it has been notified from April 16 amid the ongoing debate in Parliament on amending this law and implementing it in 2029. Under this law, 33 percent quota has been set for women in the assemblies.

‘Reservation cannot be implemented in the existing House’
According to the PTI report, an official cited technical shortcomings in implementing the law, but did not elaborate. The official said that although the Act has been implemented, reservation cannot be implemented in the existing House. The official said that reservation for women can be implemented after the completion of the delimitation process on the basis of the next census.

What was said in the notification
The notification read, “In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, the Central Government appoints April 16, 2026 as the date of coming into force of the provisions of the said Act.” In September 2023, Parliament passed the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Act’, commonly known as the Women’s Reservation Act. This was an important step towards increasing the representation of women in legislative bodies.

When will reservation be implemented?
In this Act, a provision has been made to reserve one-third seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. Reservation under this 2023 law will not be implemented before 2034, because it is linked to the completion of the delimitation process after the 2027 census. The three bills currently being debated in the Lok Sabha have been brought by the government so that women’s quota can be implemented in 2029.

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The government has taken a big and relief decision for the women working in the country’s defense services. Now women who have served in the Military Nursing Service have also been included in the category of ex-servicemen. Earlier this facility was available only to Army, Navy and Air Force personnel. But now the government has changed the rules and included MNS staff also in it. With this decision, after the end of army jobs, new avenues of government jobs will open for women and they will get the benefit of many facilities.

MNS staff gets ex-serviceman status

By making changes in the rules related to ex-servicemen, the government has officially recognized the Military Nursing Service staff as ex-servicemen. This change has been made under Article 309 of the Constitution. This means that now the employees working in MNS, whether they have played a combat role or a non-combat role, both will get the facilities of ex-servicemen. Earlier, MNS staff were considered part of the army, but they did not get the facilities of ex-servicemen. Because of this, they had to face many difficulties while applying for government jobs. Now with the new rules of the government this problem will be eliminated to a great extent.

You will get the benefit of reservation in government jobs

After the implementation of the new rules, MNS staff will get the benefit of reservation in central government jobs. The government has made it clear that 10 percent reservation will be given in Group ‘C’ jobs and 20 percent reservation in Group ‘D’ jobs. With this decision, MNS staff will get better opportunities while applying for UPSC, SSC and other government recruitment examinations. Earlier they had to compete with general candidates, but now with reservation, their chances of selection will increase. With this, women serving in the army will get equal opportunity in terms of jobs.

Relief will be available even in age limit

The government has also given great relief to the MNS staff regarding the age limit. Now they will get additional age relaxation while applying for civil government jobs. According to the new rule, the years of service in the army will be deducted from the actual age of the candidate and apart from this, an additional relaxation of 3 years will also be given. Suppose a woman has served 6 or 7 years in the army, then she will get an additional 3 years along with the relaxation of so many years to apply for a government job. This will give MNS staff more time to prepare for the job and they will be able to plan their career without any pressure.

After this decision of the government, new avenues of government jobs will open for MNS staff. After serving in the army, they will now be able to easily apply for civil jobs. This will increase their job security and also reduce worries about the future. This decision of the government also shows that now the role of women in defense services is becoming stronger than before. With this, women will get equal status in the society and their hard work will get proper recognition. Overall, this decision is being considered as a big relief for MNS staff and an important step towards their bright future.

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The Supreme Court has strongly reprimanded two candidates who were demanding minority reservation in Medical PG by claiming to be Buddhists. The court called it a ‘new type of fraud’. The bench headed by the Chief Justice made this comment when it received information that before the written examination, these candidates had declared themselves to be from the general category and both belong to the prosperous Jat caste of Haryana. The court has also asked tough questions to the Haryana government in this matter.

What is the matter?
Subharti Medical College, Meerut is given reservation for the Buddhist minority community. Nikhil Kumar Punia and Ekta have demanded seats for themselves in NEET PG course in Subharti Medical College. He had also presented a certificate issued by the SDO (Sub Divisional Officer) office claiming to have converted to Buddhism.

What happened in the court?
Chief Justice Surya Kant, himself coming from Haryana, asked the petitioner’s lawyer, ‘Punia surname is written as Jat as well as Scheduled Caste people. Which Punia are you?’ The lawyer replied that his client was a Jat. On this the Chief Justice asked how he became a minority? The lawyer said that he had converted. This is their constitutional right.

Court’s strict comment
The CJI commented on the lawyer’s words, ‘Wow! This is a new method of fraud. You want to take away the rights of real minorities. You belong to one of the most prosperous, privileged and upper caste communities. This community has agricultural land. All facilities are available. You should not take away the rights of those who are truly deprived.

Judge angry over lawyer’s argument
The petitioner’s lawyer, defending, said, ‘We have truly and honestly adopted Buddhism.’ On this the Chief Justice warned, ‘Do not force us to comment further. If such an argument is accepted then everyone will start doing the same. The upper castes will start converting and the rights of the real holders will be violated.

petition rejected
Bench member Justice Joymalya Bagchi also expressed strong objection to the petitioner’s argument. After this, the court rejected the application of the petitioners seeking admission as minority candidates.

Answer sought from Haryana government
After this the court sought answers from the Haryana government on the entire incident. The court said that the Haryana government should provide information about the guidelines related to issuing minority certificates in the state. The government should clarify whether upper caste general category candidates can obtain minority certificate by claiming to have adopted Buddhism? The court has asked the state government to file a detailed report within 2 weeks.

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Union Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Nitin Gadkari recently shared his views on reservation and caste subject in a program. He said that I belong to the Brahmin caste and God did the biggest favor on us that we did not get reservation.

Gadkari further said that Brahmins do not have much importance in Maharashtra, but their position in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar is very strong. Giving examples, he said, “Whenever I go there, I see the dominance and influence of castes like Dubey, Mishra, Tripathi. Just as the Maratha caste is important in Maharashtra, the power and influence of Brahmins is very high there.”

What did Minister Nitin Gadkari say about GST?

Recently, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in ABP Reshapping India Conclave said that if the country and the state get the most GST, then it comes from the automobile industry. He said that the sales of electric two-wheelers are getting 15 percent higher than petrol vehicles. This will reduce pollution and in the coming time the prices of electric and petrol and diesel vehicles will be almost equal.

Gadkari said this about road accidents

Regarding road accidents, Gadkari said that several steps have been taken for security. Now in cars, there are six airbags instead of four. He said that people not wearing helmets is a big problem, so it has been made mandatory to give helmets on purchasing bikes and fine has also been increased. Gadkari said that people do not stop on red light and this problem will remain until people are trained properly.

Gadkari described everyone’s participation in the road safety campaign. He admitted that the deaths in road accidents cannot be completely prevented, but the government will continue to make efforts till the people improve their own.

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Karnataka Muslim reservation: Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot has sent the bill giving 4 percent reservation to Muslims in government contracts to President Draupadi Murmu for approval. He said that the Constitution does not allow reservation on the basis of religion.

The Transparency (Amendment) Bill in Karnataka Public Purchase was passed by the Legislative Assembly last month. In the Bill, it is proposed to give 4 percent reservation in contracts for construction works up to Rs 1 crore to Muslims. Gehlot said, “The Constitution of India does not allow reservation on the basis of religion and it violates the principles of equality (Article 14), non-discrimination (Article 15) and equal opportunity in public employment (Article 16).”