SC may prepone OBC row hearing date following state government’s plea

MP, 14 Sept 2024, Kolkata: The Supreme Court on Friday said it would consider advancing date of the hearing on a plea of the West Bengal government against a Calcutta High Court verdict striking down the Other Backward Classes (OBC) status of several castes, mostly Muslim groups, for granting reservation to them in public sector jobs and state-run educational institutions. 

The Apex Court is scheduled to hear the appeal on September 30 and the litigants, including the Trinamool Congress-led state government, have sought advancing the date of the hearing. 

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra was urged by senior advocate N K Kaul that 77 communities have been “de-reserved” and due to the impugned judgement, the admission process in relation to them are getting affected. 

“I will pass an order (on advancing the date of hearing) in the afternoon. Please circulate an e-mail,” the CJI told Kaul. The top court on August 5 asked the state government to provide quantifiable data on social and economic backwardness of fresh castes it has included in the OBC list and on their inadequate representation in the public sector jobs. 

While issuing notices to private litigants, the bench had asked the authorities to file an affidavit giving details of the consultations, if any, conducted by it and the state’s backward classes panel before including the castes, mostly Muslim groups, in the OBC list. 

The high court had on May 22 struck down the OBC status of several castes in West Bengal granted since 2010, holding as illegal the reservation for them in the public sector jobs and state-run educational institutions. 

HC had said, “Religion indeed appears to have been the sole criterion” for declaring these communities as OBCs. 

The HC had clarified that the services of citizens of the struck-down classes, who are already in service or have availed the benefit of reservation or have succeeded in any selection process of the state, will not be affected by the order. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/cm-announces-rs-2-lakh-for-kin-of-29-patients-who-died-during-docs-strike-579640?infinitescroll=1