In a setback to the West Bengal government, the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed an interim stay on the preparation of a new list of Other Backward Caste (OBC) communities.
A Division Bench of Justices Rajasekhar Mantha and Tapabrata Chakraborty issued the interim stay till the next date of hearing on July 31. The order was passed by the Division Bench following a petition seeking intervention of the High Court.
The court also put a stay on the State government’s decision to open a portal for submission of caste certificates for the purpose of addition of OBC communities in the new list.
The Calcutta High Court in May 2024 had cancelled the OBC reservation awarded to 77 categories, highlighting a complete lack of legislative policy within the 2012 scheme to classify any group as OBC. The State government has approached the Supreme Court and the matter is pending before it.
On June 10, the West Bengal government tabled a new OBC list in the State Assembly with minor changes compared to the previous list.
