Kolkata, 18 May (H.S.): The newly formed BJP government in West Bengal on Monday took a major decision regarding the Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation structure in the state. During the second cabinet meeting held at Nabanna under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, the state government decided to abolish the existing OBC sub-categorisation system and initiate a fresh review of the state’s OBC list.

Addressing a press conference after the meeting, state minister Agnimitra Paul said the cabinet had decided to scrap the current sub-classification structure within the OBC category and reassess the percentage of reservation for OBC communities in state government jobs.

She stated that a fresh enquiry would be conducted and future inclusion of communities in the OBC list would be decided in accordance with the directives of the Calcutta High Court.

The issue of OBC reservation and sub-categorisation has remained at the centre of political and legal controversy in West Bengal for several years. The previous Trinamool Congress government led by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had included a large number of Muslim communities in the OBC list through a series of executive orders issued after 2012.

According to official records, a total of 77 new communities were added to the OBC list during that period, of which 75 were Muslim sub-groups.

The BJP, then in the opposition, repeatedly accused the Trinamool Congress government of minority appeasement through religion-based reservation policies. The matter was later challenged before the court. Petitioners alleged that the state government had bypassed the statutory role of the West Bengal Backward Classes Commission and granted reservation benefits without conducting proper socio-economic surveys.

In May 2024, the Calcutta High Court struck down all OBC certificates issued after 2010 under the revised classification system. The court observed that religion had effectively become the “sole criterion” for granting OBC status and termed the process unconstitutional.

However, the court protected certificates issued before 2010 and clarified that individuals who had already secured jobs under the reservation system would not lose their employment.

Following the High Court verdict, the then state government attempted to restructure the OBC framework by issuing a revised notification creating fresh sub-categories. However, the High Court stayed the notification as well, observing that the state had acted in undue haste and failed to follow proper legal procedures.

The matter later reached the Supreme Court of India, which sought empirical and socio-economic data from the state government to justify inclusion of communities in the OBC category. The apex court also observed that reservation could not be granted solely on religious grounds and must be backed by measurable indicators of social and economic backwardness.

According to officials, the fresh review process ordered by the new government will involve detailed enquiries and data-based assessments. The state government is expected to issue detailed guidelines and fresh notifications regarding the revised framework in the coming weeks.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh