BREAKING: OBC Certificates Issued In Bengal Post 2010 Cancelled, Rules Calcutta HC

Kolkata:  In a big blow to the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government, the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday cancelled all OBC certificates in the state issued after 2010. The bench of Justice Tapobrata Chakraborty and Justice Raj Shekhar Manthar pronounced the big verdict while hearing a PIL that challenged the process of issuing OBC certificates. The court directed that a new OBC list be prepared by the West Bengal Backward Classes Commission on the basis of the West Bengal Backward Classes Commission Act of 1993. 

The ruling will lead to the cancellation of approximately 5 lakh OBC certificates. The Calcutta High Court found that the OBC certificates issued during that period were not in full compliance with the law.  It is believed that a significant portion of this number includes certificates belonging to the Muslim community. Following the decision, the HC ordered that the cancelled certificates cannot be used in any employment process. Additionally, the High Court mentioned that those who have already benefited from these certificates will not be affected by this decision.

Key takeaways from the Calcutta High Court decision OBC certificates

• Approximately 5 lakh OBC certificates are set to be cancelled.
• Certificates issued between 2011 and 2014 will be invalidated.
• Certificates issued before 2010 will remain valid.
• Individuals who secured jobs through OBC reservation after 2010 or are in the recruitment process will not be affected.
•  A new list of OBCs will be prepared in accordance with the West Bengal Backward Classes Commission Act of 1993. This list must receive final approval from the Assembly.
• OBC categories declared before 2010 will retain their validity.

For the unversed, the case on which the High Court issued this order was filed in 2012. It was presented in court by lawyers Sudipto Dasgupta and Vikram Banerjee on behalf of the petitioners. They argued that the Left Front government had created a category called "Other Backward Classes" in West Bengal based on an interim report in 2010. This category was named "OBC-A".