diff --git a/pkg/api/pod/util.go b/pkg/api/pod/util.go
index 787a238eaae..dd79c4831b9 100644
--- a/pkg/api/pod/util.go
+++ b/pkg/api/pod/util.go
@@ -447,12 +447,6 @@ func dropDisabledFields(
 		}
 	}
 
-	if !utilfeature.DefaultFeatureGate.Enabled(features.Sysctls) && !sysctlsInUse(oldPodSpec) {
-		if podSpec.SecurityContext != nil {
-			podSpec.SecurityContext.Sysctls = nil
-		}
-	}
-
 	if !utilfeature.DefaultFeatureGate.Enabled(features.LocalStorageCapacityIsolation) && !emptyDirSizeLimitInUse(oldPodSpec) {
 		for i := range podSpec.Volumes {
 			if podSpec.Volumes[i].EmptyDir != nil {
@@ -648,16 +642,6 @@ func podPriorityInUse(podSpec *api.PodSpec) bool {
 	return false
 }
 
-func sysctlsInUse(podSpec *api.PodSpec) bool {
-	if podSpec == nil {
-		return false
-	}
-	if podSpec.SecurityContext != nil && podSpec.SecurityContext.Sysctls != nil {
-		return true
-	}
-	return false
-}
-
 // emptyDirSizeLimitInUse returns true if any pod's EmptyDir volumes use SizeLimit.
 func emptyDirSizeLimitInUse(podSpec *api.PodSpec) bool {
 	if podSpec == nil {
diff --git a/pkg/api/podsecuritypolicy/util.go b/pkg/api/podsecuritypolicy/util.go
index 43de1b835c8..a0df4f83ac4 100644
--- a/pkg/api/podsecuritypolicy/util.go
+++ b/pkg/api/podsecuritypolicy/util.go
@@ -28,10 +28,6 @@ func DropDisabledFields(pspSpec, oldPSPSpec *policy.PodSecurityPolicySpec) {
 	if !utilfeature.DefaultFeatureGate.Enabled(features.ProcMountType) && !allowedProcMountTypesInUse(oldPSPSpec) {
 		pspSpec.AllowedProcMountTypes = nil
 	}
-	if !utilfeature.DefaultFeatureGate.Enabled(features.Sysctls) && !sysctlsInUse(oldPSPSpec) {
-		pspSpec.AllowedUnsafeSysctls = nil
-		pspSpec.ForbiddenSysctls = nil
-	}
 	if !utilfeature.DefaultFeatureGate.Enabled(features.CSIInlineVolume) {
 		pspSpec.AllowedCSIDrivers = nil
 	}
@@ -49,13 +45,3 @@ func allowedProcMountTypesInUse(oldPSPSpec *policy.PodSecurityPolicySpec) bool {
 	return false
 
 }
-
-func sysctlsInUse(oldPSPSpec *policy.PodSecurityPolicySpec) bool {
-	if oldPSPSpec == nil {
-		return false
-	}
-	if oldPSPSpec.AllowedUnsafeSysctls != nil || oldPSPSpec.ForbiddenSysctls != nil {
-		return true
-	}
-	return false
-}
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go
index 6513882d8e1..55b5f0ce62d 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go
@@ -775,16 +775,14 @@ func NewMainKubelet(kubeCfg *kubeletconfiginternal.KubeletConfiguration,
 	klet.evictionManager = evictionManager
 	klet.admitHandlers.AddPodAdmitHandler(evictionAdmitHandler)
 
-	if utilfeature.DefaultFeatureGate.Enabled(features.Sysctls) {
-		// Safe, whitelisted sysctls can always be used as unsafe sysctls in the spec.
-		// Hence, we concatenate those two lists.
-		safeAndUnsafeSysctls := append(sysctlwhitelist.SafeSysctlWhitelist(), allowedUnsafeSysctls...)
-		sysctlsWhitelist, err := sysctl.NewWhitelist(safeAndUnsafeSysctls)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-		klet.admitHandlers.AddPodAdmitHandler(sysctlsWhitelist)
+	// Safe, whitelisted sysctls can always be used as unsafe sysctls in the spec.
+	// Hence, we concatenate those two lists.
+	safeAndUnsafeSysctls := append(sysctlwhitelist.SafeSysctlWhitelist(), allowedUnsafeSysctls...)
+	sysctlsWhitelist, err := sysctl.NewWhitelist(safeAndUnsafeSysctls)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
 	}
+	klet.admitHandlers.AddPodAdmitHandler(sysctlsWhitelist)
 
 	// enable active deadline handler
 	activeDeadlineHandler, err := newActiveDeadlineHandler(klet.statusManager, kubeDeps.Recorder, klet.clock)
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_sandbox.go b/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_sandbox.go
index b09edd08d7f..db0bdd7a0dc 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_sandbox.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_sandbox.go
@@ -25,10 +25,8 @@ import (
 
 	v1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	kubetypes "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
-	utilfeature "k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/util/feature"
 	runtimeapi "k8s.io/cri-api/pkg/apis/runtime/v1alpha2"
 	"k8s.io/klog/v2"
-	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/features"
 	kubecontainer "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/kubelet/container"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/kubelet/types"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/kubelet/util"
@@ -166,11 +164,9 @@ func (m *kubeGenericRuntimeManager) generatePodSandboxLinuxConfig(pod *v1.Pod) (
 	}
 
 	sysctls := make(map[string]string)
-	if utilfeature.DefaultFeatureGate.Enabled(features.Sysctls) {
-		if pod.Spec.SecurityContext != nil {
-			for _, c := range pod.Spec.SecurityContext.Sysctls {
-				sysctls[c.Name] = c.Value
-			}
+	if pod.Spec.SecurityContext != nil {
+		for _, c := range pod.Spec.SecurityContext.Sysctls {
+			sysctls[c.Name] = c.Value
 		}
 	}