KOLKATA, AUG 12 (AGENCIES): The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday cancelled all Other Backward Classes (OBC) certificates issued under the revised rules introduced by the previous Trinamool Congress government.
The High Court in its judgement said that the OBC-A and OBC-B classification no longer exists in West Bengal.
A division bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha and Justice Anuj Singh said the certificates issued under the earlier classification had lost their validity.
Those holding such certificates will now be treated as belonging to the general category.
The OBC controversy dates back to the period after 2010, when the state divided OBC communities into two categories — OBC-A and OBC-B.
There was widespread allegation of irregularities and corruption over the issuance of OBC certificates.
The matter was challenged in the court and in 2024, the High Court struck down the inclusion of 66 communities in the OBC list and cancelled their certificates.
It also directed the state to conduct a fresh survey and prepare a new list.
However, the then TMC government challenged the order in the Supreme Court, but the apex court upheld the High Court’s decision.
Following the court’s direction, the state conducted a fresh survey and made changes to the OBC-A and OBC-B lists.
The High Court, however, questioned the process, alleging that the survey was based on only around 2,500 samples.
On that basis, 142 communities were subsequently included in the OBC list.
The state again approached the Supreme Court against the High Court’s observations, but the apex court did not grant a stay.
As a result, the issuance of OBC certificates under the revised rules continued.
The legal position changed after the BJP government came to power in West Bengal in 2026.
The government abolished the OBC-A and OBC-B classification and announced that there would be a single OBC reservation category.
The Suvendu Adhikari government also withdrew the case filed by the previous administration in the Supreme Court challenging the High Court’s order.
With the challenge withdrawn, the certificates issued under the TMC government’s revised system lost their legal basis, leading to Wednesday’s order.
The ruling is likely to affect those who applied for and obtained fresh OBC certificates following the Supreme Court proceedings.
Such certificates will no longer be considered for reservation, and their holders will be treated as members of the general category.
Thursday, August 13, 2026