India, Dec. 7 -- Former Chief Justice of India BR Gavai has said he has been "widely criticised" by people from his own community for his judgement that the 'creamy layer' principle be applied to reservation for the Scheduled Castes too. The principle means those with a certain level of income be excluded from reservation policies.

He was accused of taking benefits of reservation himself to become a Supreme Court judge, and then advocating the exclusion of those who have advanced economically and socially while being members of the backward community for which a quota is meant, he noted.

"But these people did not even know that there is no reservation for the constitutional office of High Court or Supreme Court judge," Gavai, who retire...