The Supreme Court on Monday directed the West Bengal government to explain why 77 communities, most of which are Muslim, were designated as Other Backward Classes (OBC). This follows a May ruling by the Calcutta High Court that deemed the classification process illegal, leading the state to appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court has asked the West Bengal government to provide detailed data on the social and economic backwardness of these communities and their representation in public sector jobs. The Calcutta High Court had previously invalidated the OBC status granted to several communities since 2010, finding these reservations illegal.
The court has asked the West Bengal government to file an affidavit explaining the process used to classify these 77 communities as OBCs. Specifically, the court wants details on the nature of the survey conducted, any lack of consultation with the state backward commission, and whether any consultations were held for sub-classifications.
The high court had criticized the classification, suggesting that religion might have been the primary factor in designating these communities as OBCs. It described the inclusion of 77 Muslim communities as OBCs as disrespectful to the Muslim community as a whole. The high court struck down reservations for these 77 classes granted between April and September 2010, as well as 37 classes created under a 2012 law.