Hundreds of Other Backward Class (OBC) students in Kerala who may qualify for non-creamy layer (NCL) status under a recent Supreme Court ruling risk losing reservation benefits in JEE Main and Advanced as they had applied under the general category before the court clarified the criteria for NCL eligibility.In a March 11 judgment, the Supreme Court held that parental income from salary and agriculture cannot be the sole basis for determining creamy layer status. The Bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and R. Mahadevan said creamy layer exclusion was based on social status rather than income alone.The ruling has prompted demands for a revision of category declarations and JEE ranks prepared by the National Testing Agency (NTA).In Kerala, revenue authorities have been denying NCL certificates to OBC students whose parents earn more than ₹8 lakh annually through salary or agriculture, forcing them to apply for JEE and NEET under the general category. Government employees, however, are assessed mainly on the basis of service status and rank, with salary income not attracting the same disqualification.Students and parents argue that the Supreme Court ruling makes many of those denied NCL certificates eligible for OBC reservation.“We want the NTA to give eligible students an opportunity to claim OBC reservation in line with the Supreme Court ruling,” said Amrit Christopher, a trader from Wayanad. He said a group of parents was preparing to move the court seeking revision of category status for affected candidates.The issue has also highlighted inconsistencies in the issuance of NCL certificates. While tahsildars issue certificates for Central government admissions and recruitment, interpretations of creamy layer rules vary.Government employees below specified ranks are often granted NCL status irrespective of salary, while private-sector employees with similar incomes are denied certificates solely because their earnings exceed ₹8 lakh.‘Unequal treatment’“This has resulted in unequal treatment of similarly placed families,” said Capt. Abdul Hameed, academic director of Universal Institute, Kottakkal. He said many students had lost OBC reservation benefits in JEE and NEET because salary and agricultural income continued to be treated as disqualifying factors.According to Rangarajan R., former IAS officer and author of ‘Polity Simplified’, income from salary and agriculture is excluded while assessing whether a family crosses the prescribed income threshold.Parents and students want the NTA to reconsider the category status of candidates who applied under the general category before the March 11 ruling. They argue that eligible students should not be denied OBC reservation because of an earlier interpretation of the NCL criteria. Published - June 06, 2026 09:17 pm IST