Training for 958 new civil servants stalled for the first time

Training On Hold

The Foundation Course for 958 candidates who cleared the Civil Services Examination 2025 has still not begun. Training usually starts at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie by late August or early September and ends in December. This marks the first time since Independence that the training course has been stalled, leaving new civil servants waiting in limbo.

Supreme Court Case

The suspension follows a Supreme Court judgment on March 11, 2026, regarding the Other Backward Classes creamy layer. The Centre moved the apex court on August 24 to seek clarifications, and the court reserved its order on September 24. Consequently, service allocation and the Foundation Course have been put on hold. Two candidates spoke about the uncertainty, with one waiting for a call and another regularly refreshing the academy website for updates. Another program for candidates who took the Mains again for better ranks was also postponed indefinitely.

Career Impact

Seniority in the civil services is counted from the day the Foundation Course begins. The delay has pushed back joining schedules and affected long-term career progression for the recruits. A senior academy official stated that they are preparing for the course, but the starting date depends on orders from higher authorities. Around 100 candidates who cleared exams since 2016 also face uncertainty after having their OBC status rejected under creamy layer rules.

Context

The creamy layer rules aim to ensure that reservation benefits reach the most backward sections within the OBCs by excluding wealthier families based on income and job status. A Supreme Court bench ruled that income cannot be the sole criterion for determining the creamy layer, calling certain salary-based exclusions discriminatory. The Centre has asked the court to avoid applying the ruling retrospectively and requested a two-year window to complete administrative equivalence work.