Fri May 23 00:15:00 UTC 2025: **West Bengal OBC Reservation in Limbo Following Court Orders**
**Kolkata – May 23, 2025:** A recent order by the Calcutta High Court has reignited the controversy surrounding OBC (Other Backward Classes) reservations in West Bengal, leaving the status of thousands of students and aspiring candidates in uncertainty.
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari (BJP) criticized the West Bengal government on Thursday, citing the High Court order. The court has stipulated that only those included in the OBC category before 2010 will be eligible for reservation benefits. This follows a 2024 ruling by the same court that cancelled all OBC certificates issued since 2010.
Adhikari highlighted a recent directive from Justice Kaushik Chanda, emphasizing that only those castes included in the OBC list prior to 2010, as determined by the State’s Backward Class Department, would qualify.
The West Bengal government has appealed to the Supreme Court, but the issue remains unresolved. The High Court order has not been stayed, leading legal experts to suggest that admissions to academic institutions will proceed based on the pre-2010 OBC list.
“The State Government getting under the scanner is now a routine affair,” Adhikari stated in a social media post. “The plea of the State regarding the issue pending before the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India has been thwarted stating that the State has failed to obtain any stay on the Hon’ble Division Bench order.”
In its 2024 decision, the Calcutta High Court criticized the lack of legislative policy within the state’s 2012 scheme for classifying groups as OBCs. The court has ordered the West Bengal government to establish a clear legislative policy before granting such classifications. The absence of a stay against this ruling has led to widespread confusion among students and candidates.
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