Kerala Court Rejects Teen NCL Certificates Over Income

The Kerala High Court said that two 17‑year‑old students could not get special certificates that would let them use reservation rules for medical and engineering entrance exams.

The court said the students’ parents earned too much money and owned too many assets, so the students were not in the "Non‑Creamy Layer" group.

The court used a Supreme Court decision that says salary income must be counted when checking if someone is in that group.

The judges worried that if parents’ salaries were ignored, rich families could unfairly get reservation benefits.

One student’s dad was an NRI who earned about 33 lakh rupees a year, and the other’s dad had assets worth more than 30 lakh rupees.

Because of that, the court said the students could not get the certificates.

The decision was made on July 29, 2023, in the Kerala High Court.

This means the students will have to compete with everyone else for the exam seats.

The court’s ruling keeps the reservation system fair for families that are truly in need.