Analysis

The Week Ahead

Today the Supreme Court begins its last week of hearings for the year, before closing for a 2 week long winter vacation on December 20th.

Today the Supreme Court (SC) begins its last week of hearings for the year, before closing for a two-week long winter vacation on December 20th.

This week, a Bench led by Chandrachud J is expected to hear appeals on the constitutional validity of the Union government’s OBC ‘creamy layer’ policy. The Union excludes the wards of PSU and private sector employees from OBC reservation in public employment on account of their parents’ income. The Madras High Court had previously held that this policy violates Article 14, since wards of government employees are not excluded on the basis of income.

In 2021, the Court dealt with a number of important cases on reservation. These include the AIQ NEET case, the Maratha Reservations case, and the Reservations in Promotion for SC/ST and Persons with Disabilities cases. 

Shah and Khanna JJ are expected to hear petitions on the Union government’s attempt to dilute the powers of the Dahanu Taluka Environmental Protection Authority. The SC had appointed this monitoring committee in 1996 to protect the ecologically sensitive Dahanu area in Maharashtra from development activities.