Latest news with #OBC-B
Time of India
3 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
JU admission portal opens with 7% OBC reservation
1 2 Kolkata: Jadavpur University opened its admission portal for arts and science undergraduate courses on Friday with 7% seats reserved for OBC candidates. Students can submit their applications till July 3. While the entrance tests for science subjects, except geology, will be held between July 11 and 14, those for arts subjects, except philosophy and Sanskrit, will be conducted between July 14 and 18. The provisional science merit list will be published by July 22 and that of arts by July 31. The merit list for philosophy and Sanskrit will be published by July 23. The university has set the OBC reservations according to the Calcutta High Court order of May 2024. JU was scheduled to open its admission portal on June 18 but postponed it for the second time after HC stayed the gazette notification on OBC till July 3. An official said, "According to legal advice, we will follow the HC judgment, which states there is no existence of OBC-A and OBC-B and only 66 OBC classes, featuring on the state OBC list prior to 2010, can avail of the 7% seat reservation. Candidates provisionally selected under OBC should submit a valid 'non-creamy layer' certificate not earlier than June 19. " The JU admission notice reads, "The reservation for the OBC... is carried forward subject to orders passed by Calcutta High Court dated May 22, 2024, and relevant State Govt orders."
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
HC puts stay on OBC list, asks state: ‘Why not wait for SC order?'
The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday put an interim stay on notifications issued by the West Bengal government with regard to reservations to 140 subsections under OBC-A and OBC-B categories made by it. This comes days after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee presented the new OBC list in the Assembly. The Opposition BJP had claimed that most of the new sub-sections in the list belonged to the Muslim community. Hearing a petition, filed by one Amal Chandra Das, challenging the new OBC list, the Division Bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Rajasekhar Mantha directed that executive notifications made between May 8 and June 13 about Other Backward Classes (OBC) categories will not be in effect till July 31. The Bench, however, said those who received OBC certificates before 2010 are not barred from employment or admission in educational institutes. In May last year, the same bench of the Calcutta High Court had ordered cancellation of OBC certificates issued since 2010. About 1.2 million certificates were cancelled. The Calcutta High Court had in May 2024 struck down the OBC status of several classes — 77 classes of reservation given between April 2010 and September 2010, and 37 classes were created based on the state's Reservation Act of 2012 — finding such reservations illegal. The High Court's ruling was challenged in the Supreme Court, where the matter is still pending. In the petition filed in March this year, the counsel of Das claimed that the state government prepared the new list hastily in violation of the High Court's order. The petitioner, who had made both the national and the state commissions for Backward Classes parties in the case, argued that the survey was not conducted in accordance with the High Court's ruling. 'The High Court had ordered that a survey be conducted among every economically, socially, and professionally diverse population in the state. However, the state allegedly conducted a survey among a few families based on districts,' the petitioner claimed, adding there was a little difference between the current list and the previously published list, scrapped by the High Court. During the hearing on Monday, Additional Solicitor General ASG Ashok Chakrabarty, representing the Centre's National Commission for Backward Classes, sought to know from the state government about the procedure for providing reservation, 'The NCBC in its report found out that Hindu Backward Classes were being converted to Muslim Backward Classes. Minutes recorded by the State Commission show concern shown by officers of the Commission about the communities whose designations have been struck off by the order of the High Court.' Representing the West Bengal government, State Advocate General Kishore Dutta told the court: 'The matter is pending before the Supreme Court. So, we should wait for the decision. We have informed the Supreme Court about the survey, and the Supreme Court permitted us to continue with the (survey) exercise.' Questioning the locus standi of the petitioner, the Advocate General said: 'Third party rights are being affected without bringing the third parties in the petition. Which class are the petitioners representing? Why can't they come to the court? Who is Amal Chandra Das? A public interest litigation cannot be a case for one person to keep on filling litigations. These people don't go and object to the commission and come to the court. How do I carry out the admission process? The Supreme Court ordered us to place a report before the legislature… Upon whose desire, I am making these submissions, the court needs to see that too. This will have a deep effect.' The Bench then said, 'So there is deep concern of the Commission. Why did not you wait for the decision of the Supreme Court? Have you mentioned to the Supreme Court that you will also issue notification on the basis of the fresh survey? You don't take further steps… The exercise that has been undertaken will either be tested by the Supreme Court or by us.' 'Don't give effects to the notification till the Supreme Court decides,' the High Court ordered. On the survey by the state OBC commission, the Bench observed: 'You are supposed to carry out a review after every 10 years or 5 years. Have you done the review? What improvements have taken place in their lives? Today, we want to ask you, when we have specifically ordered in a judgment that your actions of giving a parallel power to the State executive and State Legislation is unsustainable in law. How could you have given effect to these recommendations by an executive order under the 1993 Act.' 'The notification was issued by the State before the report was tabled before the legislature. You complied with half the procedure and the rest half you did according to yourself,' the Bench added. The High Court asked all the parties to file their affidavits on their contentions with regard to the challenge over new benchmark surveys for the purpose of inclusion under OBC categories in a PIL and the notifications. The state government has included 49 subsections under the OBC-A and 91 under the OBC-B categories vide the executive notifications. It has been stated that while more backward sections of people have been included under OBC-A, the less backward people come under OBC-B. —With PTI
NDTV
6 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Calcutta High Court Pauses Bengal OBC Reservation Notifications
Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday ordered an interim stay on notifications issued by the West Bengal government with regard to reservations to 140 subsections under OBC-A and OBC-B categories made by it. A division bench comprising justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Rajasekhar Mantha, in an interim stay till July 31, directed that executive notifications between May 8 and June 13 with regard to Other Backward Classes (OBC) categories made by the state government will not be given effect to till that date. The court directed that all consequential acts thereof will also remain stayed till July 31. All the parties in the matter were directed by the court to file their affidavits in the meantime on their contentions with regard to the challenge over new benchmark surveys for the purpose of inclusion under OBC categories in a PIL and the notifications. The state government has included 49 subsections under the OBC-A and 91 under the OBC-B categories vide the executive notifications. It has been stated that while more backward sections of people have been included under OBC-A, the less backward people come under OBC-B. The Calcutta High Court had in May 2024 struck down the OBC status of several classes in West Bengal granted since 2010, finding such reservations to vacancies in services and posts in the state are illegal. The court struck down 77 classes of reservation given between April 2010 and September 2010, and 37 classes were created based on the state's Reservation Act of 2012. This order was challenged before the Supreme Court by the West Bengal government and the matter is pending there.
News18
6 days ago
- Politics
- News18
In Major Setback For TMC Govt, Calcutta High Court Halts New OBC List; BJP Hails Ruling
Last Updated: The court clarified that the original list of 66 OBC communities recognised before 2010 will remain unaffected by the ruling. The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday issued an interim stay on the West Bengal government's OBC list notification, putting a hold on all actions and processes based on the new list of Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities. The court was hearing a series of petitions challenging the state government's executive order that added 140 subgroups—80 of which are Muslim—to the newly announced OBC list. The division bench of Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Rajasekhar Mantha imposed the stay, which affects various key areas, including college and university admissions, government job recruitments, and social welfare benefits. The court also stayed the implementation of the newly introduced 100-point roster for jobs, which had been designed based on the updated OBC list. However, the court clarified that the original list of 66 OBC communities recognised before 2010 will remain unaffected by the ruling. The previous list, which was largely invalidated by the High Court on May 22, 2024, had 113 subgroups, comprising 77 Muslim and 36 non-Muslim communities. The Bengal Assembly passed the new notification last week in response to the court's earlier decision, which struck down the categorisation of OBC-A and OBC-B groups introduced after 2011. Several petitions challenging the new state executive order were submitted to the High Court, with the issue still being under consideration by the Supreme Court. The petitioners urged the court to stay the order, describing it as a 'blatant violation" of the High Court division bench's ruling issued on May 22. The court order, being viewed as a major setback for the ruling Trinamool, was largely hailed by the BJP today, with Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari calling it a 'landmark verdict." 'I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Hon'ble High Court at Calcutta for the landmark decision to stay the inclusion of 76 Muslim classes in the new OBC list prepared by the Mamata Banerjee Government. This is a resounding victory of the Judiciary against an arrogant State Government that has repeatedly flouted constitutional norms for its narrow political gains," he said in an X post. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Hon'ble High Court at Calcutta for the landmark decision to stay the inclusion of 76 Muslim classes in the new OBC list prepared by the Mamata Banerjee Government. This is a resounding victory of the Judiciary against an arrogant State…— Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) June 17, 2025 Adhikari added that the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government's approach, reflected in the inclusion of nearly 90 per cent of new Muslim groups in the OBC list, represents a 'direct affront to the principles of equality and fairness."
Indian Express
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Bengal's OBC list: After HC rap, who goes out, who stays, and why BJP is objecting
WITH the race to the West Bengal Assembly elections kicking into gear, and the Supreme Court set to hold a hearing on the matter next month, the Mamata Banerjee government hopes to have extricated itself from the row over its OBC list by coming out with another. On June 10, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee laid in the Assembly new OBC-A and OBC-B lists, adding 76 groups and taking the total number to 140. However, the BJP has alleged that these lists carry the same basis as what led the High Court last year to scrap all additions to OBCs since 2010 by the West Bengal government – that these are heavily skewed in favour of Muslims. Of the 140 communities in the OBC list now, 80 are Muslim. The High Court had scrapped 113 names from the list of OBCs, retaining 66, last year. Of the scrapped 113, 76 have now been added back, while two from the list of 66 have been taken out. Applications of others, the state government has said, are pending. While the names of the groups added back have been specified, it is not the case with those left out. The government has also said that the 76 new OBC groups added were shortlisted purely on the basis of recommendations of the West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes. Of these 51 were added to OBC-A (covering the 'more backward' among OBCs) and 25 to OBC-B. Between March 2010 and May 2012, 77 communities were issued OBC certificates by the state, 75 of them Muslim. Of these 75 Muslim groups, 42 got OBC status under the Left government in 2010. The first challenge in the high court was filed in 2011 on the ground that the declaration of these 42 classes as OBCs was 'based purely on religion', that 'the categorisation is not based on any acceptable data, and that the survey conducted by the (backward classes) commission was unscientific, and prefabricated… to fit the head'. In May 2012, by which time the TMC government had come to power, another 35 classes were categorised as OBC, 34 of them from the Muslim community. This too was challenged in the court. In March 2013, the West Bengal Backward Classes (Other than Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) (Reservation of vacancies and posts) Act, 2012, was notified. All 77 (42+35) new OBCs were included in the Act. Two petitions were filed challenging the Act. On May 22, 2024, the court struck down the inclusion of 113 groups in total, retaining only 66, saying 'religion indeed appears to have been the sole criterion' for granting the status. As with most cases where reservations have been challenged, the court relied heavily on the Supreme Court's Indra Sawhney v Union of India (Mandal judgment). The 1992 order had held that states must establish a backward classes commission to identify and recommend classes of citizens for inclusion or exclusion in the state OBC list. The High Court said that in West Bengal's case, between 2010 and 2012, the backward classes commission's recommendations had been made with 'lightning speed'… without using any 'objective criteria' to determine the backwardness of these classes. 'Religion indeed appears to have been the sole criterion for declaring these communities as OBCs', and the reports that the commission submitted were meant only to 'curtain and hide such religion specific recommendations', the court said. 'This court's mind is not free from doubt that the said community has been treated as a commodity for political ends', and that the classes added were being treated as a 'vote bank', it said. The court also struck down portions of the 2012 Act that allowed the state government to 'sub-classify' OBC reservations into OBC-A and OBC-B categories for 'more backward' and 'backward' classes respectively. Sub-classification is meant to address the different levels of deprivation, which the court held could only be done by referring to material collected by the commission. The High Court order coincided with the Lok Sabha campaign, and the BJP accused the ruling Trinamool Congress of seeking to take away reservation and other benefits from Hindus and giving them to Muslims. Following the court order, CM Banerjee said they would file an appeal challenging the same in the Supreme Court, adding: 'You (the BJP) are playing at A and I will play at B. If you play at C, I will play at Z.' The TMC government contended that the backward classes commission identified the classes based on applications received from citizens. In 2024, the TMC government moved the Supreme Court, along with some other petitioners. On March 18 this year, the government informed the Court that a fresh exercise was being conducted for the identification of OBCs in the state. The Court then agreed to adjourn the matter by three months and take it up in July. On Tuesday, Banerjee laid an interim report of the West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes in the Assembly. Noting that for inclusion in the OBC list, a class or citizen needs to apply 'in the prescribed proforma detailing the social, economic and educational features of that class', the report said that the commission had 'till date' recommended '179 classes for inclusion as 'Other Backward Classes' in the State list of OBCs'. Out of these, the panel said, 113 were struck down by the High Court in May 2024. 'Only 66 communities enlisted before 2010 were kept untouched.' The report added that it had now recommended 'for inclusion of 51 plus 25 classes, total 76 classes'. Out of these 76 classes, the report said, 74 had been 'delisted' by the High Court order, while two 'applied afresh for inclusion'. Sub-categorising these 76 classes, the commission said 35 fall in the OBC-A category and 41 in OBC-B. The commission's report also sub-categorised 64 of 'the 66 classes of OBCs which were not delisted' by High Court. 'The Commission after due consideration of the scores received by such 64 classes in the Benchmark Survey, recommended sub-categorisation of 14 classes in Category A (More Backward) while 50 classes were recommended to be categorised in Category B (Backward). For the remaining 2 classes, the Commission decided to conduct a fresh survey.' It added that it was still carrying out its benchmark survey as regards 41 communities. 'This process is expected to be completed within the next month or two.' In addition to this, says the report, '7 more communities have placed their applications before West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes for inclusion in the State OBC List…'. Presenting the commission's report, the CM said: 'Some corners are trying to campaign that the state government is providing reservation on the basis of religion, which is baseless… We made the new OBC-A and OBC-B lists on the basis of a scientific benchmark survey conducted by the commission and included those communities which are backward. There is no question of making OBC categories on the basis of religion.' A government notification the same day said that of the total number of OBC groups now, 80 are Muslim and 60 non-Muslim, with Muslims making up 57.14% of the total. Of the 49 in the most backward OBC-A category, 36 are Muslim; and of the 91 in OBC-B category, 44 are Muslims. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari has alleged that the new OBC list prepared by the TMC government also has religion as criterion, and provides 'one-sided benefit' exclusively to Muslims. He posted on X Wednesday: 'OBC = Other Backward Classes. In West Bengal it means One-Sided Beneficiary Classes.' Countering Adhikari, the TMC said, 'We all know that 'Divide and Rule' is the official policy of the BJP, and your only agenda for the 2026 elections is to pit Hindus against Muslims.' It reiterated Banerjee's statement that backwardness, not religion, is the sole criterion for OBC status, and said: 'The new list was prepared with that principle in mind.'
