Published on: May 22, 2024 21:24 IST
The Calcutta High Court has declared all certificates issued to Other Backward Classes (OBC) in Bengal since 2011 under the Trinamool Congress administration as “illegal”. However, this ruling will not affect those currently holding jobs, seats in educational institutions, or applications made with these caste certificates, according to the court.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has strongly opposed the High Court’s decision, stating she “will not accept” the order, which she claims would “take away the rights granted to the Tapashili community.”
The court invalidated reservations for several communities classified as OBC under a state law enacted in 2012. However, Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Rajasekhar Mantha clarified that the executive orders classifying 66 OBC classes before 2010 remain untouched, as they were not challenged in the petitions.
Banerjee criticized the court’s judgment, linking it to political motives, particularly pointing fingers at the BJP. She stated, “PM Modi had claimed that Muslims after winning will cancel the reservations for Tapashilis. It was a divisive agenda again. And this is what they got the court to do today. I respect the courts. But I do not accept the judgment that says Muslims should be kept out of OBC reservation.”
The Chief Minister reaffirmed that the OBC reservation quota introduced by her government will continue. She emphasized that the Bill was drafted after an extensive house-to-house survey and passed by both the cabinet and the assembly. Banerjee accused the BJP of conspiring to derail the reservation process but asserted they failed in court.
Expressing her discontent with specific judges, Banerjee remarked, “One judge is saying, ‘I am an RSS person’, another one joins the BJP… How can you be a judge this way and preside over courts?”
Senior Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee also alleged that the court’s ruling is part of the BJP’s broader efforts to cancel reservation for the Tapashili community.