Calcutta High Court Overturns OBC Certificates: What This Means for West Bengal

Significant Ruling by Calcutta High Court

In a landmark decision, the Calcutta High Court has annulled all Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates that were issued under a new classification during the previous administration led by Mamata Banerjee. This ruling was delivered by a division bench comprising Justice Rajasekhar Mantha and Justice Anuj Singh.

The court's directive eliminates the previously established categories of 'OBC-A' and 'OBC-B', stating that individuals holding certificates from these classifications will now be categorized as 'general'.

Following the 2010 classification, the OBC community in West Bengal was split into these two groups, which led to significant controversy during the Trinamool Congress's governance.

Accusations of corruption surrounding the issuance of these certificates have been prevalent, prompting legal scrutiny.

In a related case in 2024, the High Court removed 66 communities from the OBC list, leading to the cancellation of their certificates and ordering a new survey to establish an updated list.

The Mamata Banerjee government contested this ruling in the Supreme Court, which ultimately upheld the High Court's decision.

Subsequently, the state conducted a new survey, but the High Court raised concerns about the methodology, noting that it was based on only 2,500 samples, resulting in 142 communities being classified as OBCs.

Despite objections from the High Court, the state continued to issue OBC certificates under the revised rules until this recent ruling, which has now invalidated those certificates.