Supreme Court creamy-layer case will not delay seniority for 2025 civil-service batch

The Department of Personnel and Training confirmed that the unresolved Supreme Court case concerning the OBC creamy-layer definition will not impact the seniority of candidates selected in the 2025 Civil Services Examination batch. While the allocation of services and the start of the foundation course are still pending, DoPT officials said all training institutes are prepared to assign posts quickly and commence the course at the earliest opportunity.

They emphasized that any delay in the foundation course will not alter the candidates’ seniority, grade or other service conditions. This reassurance comes after the Supreme Court’s Rohith Nathan judgment on March 11, which ruled that “salary” cannot be counted as “income” when determining creamy-layer status for OBC candidates, including those whose parents work in public-sector units or banks. The ruling had previously created uncertainty for PSU-background aspirants who had been classified as creamy-layer based on parental salaries.