Mamata Banerjee Rejects Calcutta High Court’s Cancellation of OBC Certificates

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has denounced the Calcutta High Court’s decision to invalidate all OBC certificates issued in West Bengal since 2010, labeling it a BJP conspiracy. The ruling impacts certificates issued under the Mamata-led Trinamool government, which took office in 2011.

Banerjee asserted that the state would not comply with the court’s order and that OBC reservations would continue. She claimed the OBC reservation quota, introduced after a thorough house-to-house survey and approved by the cabinet and assembly, was being undermined by the BJP using central agencies.

The high court’s judgment, delivered by Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Rajasekhar Mantha, followed petitions challenging the 2012 Act’s provisions. The court maintained that individuals already employed or selected under the OBC category would not be affected. However, the ruling invalidates classifications of 42 OBC classes made between March 2010 and May 2012, citing illegal recommendation reports.

The court emphasized that the Backward Classes Commission’s advice is generally binding on the state legislature. It instructed the state’s Backward Classes Welfare Department, in consultation with the Commission, to submit a report with recommendations for any new inclusions or exclusions in the OBC list.