The Supreme Court of India has dismissed a plea seeking exclusion of children of IAS and IPS officers from the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) reservation benefits in Madhya Pradesh. The bench led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud upheld the constitutional framework governing reservations and emphasized equity within these communities.The Plea Indeed, the petitioner has argued that even the children of IAS, IPS and other elite government officials who the petitioner refers to as the "creamy layer" cannot be permitted to enjoy the benefit of the SC/ST reservation system. It is submitted by the petitioner that this section violates the principle of equality because it gives an opportunity to avail the benefits from the marginalized class to one who enjoys great socio-economic advantage. The plea added further that such exclusion would ensure that the benefits of reservation go to the most deprived members of the SC and ST communities and thus serve the original purpose behind the affirmative action policies. Supreme Court Judgment The Supreme Court dismissed the plea that the creamy layer was not applicable to SC and ST reservations, as clarified in earlier judgments. This was based on its landmark judgment given in Indra Sawhney v. Union of India (1992), in which it established a distinction between reservations for OBCs and those for SC and ST. The SCs and STs have, in the system of reservation, been considered in the light of historical and systemic discrimination against them, irrespective of their economic status. The court again reiterated that the primary object of these reservations was to address socio-cultural disadvantages. Government's Position Another reason why the government of Madhya Pradesh strongly defended the current policy was that they argued for this reason-that if reservations were important enough to empower SC and ST communities en masse, splitting them into classes and sub-classes would create many divisions and more intricate administrative troubles for the government itself. Larger Picture Implications This judgment has repeated the very principles that creamy layer applies not to SC/ST reservations and, therefore, socio-political considerations continue to be the basis for such policies. Even though this judgment will invite much criticism by some section of society, it will once again enforce constitutional compulsions towards attempts at social justice and equality in favor of the marginalized communities. Conclusion It clearly indicates its intent on keeping the constitutional vision of equity through the Supreme Court's decision to not alter the reservation policy. The judgment therefore preserves the status quo while reinstating the importance of affirmative action for countering deep-rooted inequalities in Indian society. Thus, this judgment spells out for the first time in very concrete terms the contours of the debate and its future direction concerning the nature and ambit of reservations in India.