Calcutta High Court cancels all OBC certificates issued in West Bengal after 2010, CM Mamata Banerjee opposes saying we ‘will not accept’

In a recent verdict, the Calcutta High Court (HC) canceled all OBC (Other Backward Classes) certificates issued in West Bengal after 2010. The Calcutta HC bench clarified that the current order would not affect individuals who had attained employment using these certificates. The bench constituting Justice Tapabrata Chakrabirty and Justice Rajasekhar Mantha was hearing a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) challenging the process of granting OBC certificates. The HC termed the OBC list prepared after 2010 as ‘illegal’ and directed to prepare a new list of OBCs based on the West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993 by the West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes. Advocate Sudipta Dasgupta said, “The PIL filed (in 2011) claimed that all OBC certificates given out after 2010 bypassed the 1993 (West Bengal Backward Class Commission) Act. Those actually from the backward class were not offered their due certificates. The Division Bench's decision today annulled all OBC certificates given out after 2010. Those with OBC certificate before 2010 will not bear the brunt of the Calcutta HC hearing.” 

In 2011, Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool government came to power in the state. Through this judgment of the Calcutta HC, all the OBC certificates issued under the Mamata Banerjee government were canceled. After hearing this, the Chief Minister of West Bengal said she “will not accept” the order, which will ‘take away the rights granted to Tapashili community’. Furthermore, Mamata Banerjee said, “PM Modi had claimed that Muslims after winning will cancel the reservations for Tapashilis. It was a divisive agenda again. And this is what they got the court to do today. I respect the courts. But I do not accept the judgment that says Muslims should be kept out of OBC reservation. OBC reservations will continue. We will go to a higher court if need be.” She added, “We had drafted the Bill after conducting a house-to-house survey, and it was passed by the cabinet and the assembly... The BJP had conspired to stall it but they lost in court.”