Calcutta High Court Cancels OBC Certificates in West Bengal
Posted by admin on 2024-05-27 |
The Calcutta High Court invalidated all OBC
certificates issued in West Bengal after 2010, citing the illegality of such
reservations under a 2012 Act for state service vacancies.
The court observed that the inclusion of 77
classes of Muslims in the list of backward categories was to “treat them as a
vote bank”.
In a strong response, Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee refused to acknowledge the court's decision.
Court
Proceedings
The order came as the high court passed
judgment on petitions challenging the provisions of the Act. The court said the
verdict won't affect people who have got jobs in the OBC category or have been
selected.
In the judgement, the division bench
comprising justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Rajasekhar Mantha clarified that
the executive orders of the state government classifying 66 classes of OBC
before 2010 were not interfered with, since these were not challenged in the
petitions.
However, the bench annulled the state's
executive orders designating 42 OBC classes from March 5, 2010, to May 11,
2012, due to the illegality of the reports recommending such classification.
Mamata
Banerjee’s Reaction
Given that the Trinamool government under
Mamata Banerjee assumed power in 2011, the ruling impacts all OBC certificates
issued during her tenure, prompting her to reject the decision and accusing BJP
for influencing it.
“The BJP has conspired to stall it by using
central agencies. How can the saffron party show such audacity?” Mamata said.
Moving
to a Higher Court
Addressing an election rally in Sagar in
South 24 Parganas district on Friday, Mamata Banerjee said the state government
would appeal to the higher court against the order after summer vacation.
“We do not accept the order that scrapped OBC
certificates. We will contest at a higher court after summer vacation,"
Banerjee said.
Banerjee urged electors "not to cast a
single vote to the BJP or any other party except the TMC so that the INDIA bloc
can form a government at the Centre".
