Govt yet to decide on excluding creamy layer: Cong

NEW DELHI: Congress on Monday said the party and Central government have not taken any decision on exclusion of creamy layer among SC/ST in job reservation and sought more time to study the Supreme Court’s order on the issue.

“Congress party and the government (at the Centre) have not taken any decision on the implementation of creamy layer in the wake of the apex court’s order. As of today, we have to study the judgement first”, party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi told reporters.

Singhvi said while a debate is on whether there should be creamy layer in reservation for OBCs in higher educational institutions, it is for the first time the Supreme Court has come out with an order to keep out creamy layer for SC/ST in jobs.

“Such concepts were not there when the Constitution was framed and reservation was granted to SC/ST. Now it is for the first time that the apex court has come out with an order regarding creamy layer in job reservation for SC/ST. There would be a debate on it”, he said.

At his Iftar Dinner on October, 20, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said Government will study the implications of the Supreme Court order that the “creamy layer” should be excluded from reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in government jobs and weigh its options.

His remarks came a day after the apex court had upheld the constitutional validity of reservations for SCs and STs in recruitments and promotions and made it clear that reservation provision does not lead to excessiveness so as to breach the ceiling limit of 50 per cent or obliterate the creamy layer of extended reservation indefinitely”.