High Court Cancels Bengal’s Backward Classes Certificates Granted Since 2011

The Calcutta High Court has cancelled all certificates to Other Backward Classes issued in Bengal since 2011 under the Trinamool Congress administration, calling them “illegal”. This, however, would not affect the people currently holding jobs or seats in educational institutions or made applications with caste certificates, the court said.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said she “will not accept” the order, which will “take away the rights granted to the Tapashili community”.

The court struck down reservation for several communities as Other Backward Classes under a new law of the state government passed in 2012.

Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Rajasekhar Mantha, however, said the executive orders of the state government classifying 66 classes of OBCs before 2010 were not interfered with, since these were not challenged in the petitions filed in the case.

“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,” Mamata Banerjee said.

The OBC reservation quota introduced by the West Bengal government will continue, the Chief Minister said.

“We had drafted the Bill after conducting a house-to-house survey, and it was passed by the cabinet and the assembly… The BJP has conspired to stall it but they lost in court,” she added.

Hitting out at specific judges of the High Court, the Chief Minister said, “One judge is saying, ‘I am an RSS person’, another one joins the BJP… How can you be a judge this way and preside over courts?”

Senior party leader and Ms Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee also alleged the court’s judgment is part of the BJP’s efforts to cancel reservation for the Tapashili community.