"Illegal": Calcutta High Court Cancels All OBC Certificates Issued After 2010, Mamata Banerjee Calls It BJP Order

Directing to prepare a fresh list of Other Backward Classes (OBC), the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday (22 May) scrapped all OBC certificates issued in West Bengal since 2010.

As per India Today, the court considered the OBC list prepared after 2010 as "illegal" and asked it to be based on the West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes Act 1993.

The judgment was delivered by a division bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Rajasekhar Mantha in response to a PIL challenging the process of granting OBC certificates.

The High Court struck down sections 2H, 5, 6 and 16 and Schedule I and III of an act on Reservation of Vacancies in Services and Posts passed in 2012, calling it "unconstitutional."

Notably, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) came to power in 2011 and is now in its third term. However, it has been facing various corruption allegations.

The PIL argued that those actually from the backward class were not offered their due certificates. Taking note of it, the court canceled all OBC certificates issued between 2010 and 2024.

However, the certificates issued before 2010 will still be valid. The order will also not affect those who have already taken benefit of the reservations from the now-canceled certificates.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee termed it a "BJP order" and refused to accept it. "OBC reservation will continue. Imagine their audacity. This is a kalankit (black) chapter in the country", she said.