Calcutta High Court cancels revised OBC certificates issued under previous rules

PTI, August 12, 2026, Kolkata : The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday cancelled all OBC certificates issued under the revised classification introduced by the previous TMC government in West Bengal, effectively rendering the certificates invalid.

A division bench comprising Justice Rajasekhar Mantha and Justice Anuj Singh also ruled that the state will no longer maintain the two categories of OBCs — OBC-A and OBC-B — under the framework that had been followed since 2010.

Those holding certificates issued under the disputed system will consequently be treated as belonging to the general category, the court said.

The order follows a prolonged legal dispute over the process adopted by the previous government to identify and classify OBC communities.

In 2024, the High Court had removed 66 communities from the state’s OBC list and directed the government to undertake a fresh exercise.

The Supreme Court (SC) subsequently upheld the order.

Following the SC’s directions, the then state government conducted a survey and notified a revised list of 142 OBC communities.

The HC later questioned the methodology, including the use of only around 2,500 samples.

The state challenged this in Supreme Court, which did not stay the proceedings.

Photo: The Calcutta High Court building in Kolkata.