Claiming reservation

Dear client,

Yes, you have a substantial basis to challenge the rejection, but there is an important distinction between your own income and the creamy-layer test applicable to your parents' status/income. Under the general OBC creamy-layer framework, creamy-layer determination is ordinarily based on the status/income of the parents, and the candidate's own salary is not ordinarily clubbed with the parents' income merely because the candidate is employed. The Karnataka Backward Classes Welfare Department itself records the Government's ₹8 lakh creamy-layer limit, and Karnataka's government materials recognise the separate treatment of parental income/status.

More importantly, your status as a Police Sub-Inspector (Group-C), by itself, should not automatically make you creamy layer merely because your own salary has crossed ₹8 lakh. The service-status test is concerned principally with the status of the candidate's parents, and the Supreme Court's established creamy-layer principles distinguish between the candidate's own position and the parental status. Therefore, if your parents do not fall within an excluded category and their relevant income/status satisfies the applicable Karnataka rules, the Revenue Department should not simply reject your application by saying that your personal salary exceeds ₹8 lakh. However, you must also distinguish whether you are seeking a Karnataka State OBC/Category certificate for KAS or a Central OBC-NCL certificate, because the applicable rules and certificate format can differ. Karnataka's official materials confirm that caste/income certificates are issued through the Revenue Department/Tahsildar system.

Since the KAS application deadline is stated by you to be 31 August 2026, you should immediately submit a written representation to the jurisdictional Tahsildar, enclosing your parents' income/status documents, your service appointment/order showing that you are Group-C, your existing caste certificate if available, the KAS notification, and the rejection/objection communicated by the Revenue Department. Specifically request a reasoned written order explaining the statutory provision under which your own salary is being included in determining your creamy-layer status. If the Tahsildar refuses or does not act promptly, escalate the representation to the Assistant Commissioner/Deputy Commissioner and the competent Backward Classes authority, and, if necessary, consider approaching the Karnataka High Court under Article 226 for appropriate directions, especially because of the approaching examination deadline. Do not make any false declaration about your income; instead, clearly state your actual salary and challenge the legal basis for treating your personal income as determinative of your OBC creamy-layer status.

You should also obtain the rejection in writing rather than relying only on an oral refusal. Karnataka's official records show that the State has specifically issued Government Orders concerning creamy layer and the ₹8 lakh limit.