New Delhi (India), March 18: The West Bengal government informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday that the State Commission for Backward Classes would re-examine the issue of backwardness for OBC classification in the state. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the state government, informed a bench of Justices BR Gavai and Augustine George Masih that the process, as previously mentioned, is expected to take approximately three months.
Following this submission, the Supreme Court decided to adjourn the matter to July this year. The bench also noted that the state government would carry out this process without prejudice to the rights of the parties involved in the case.
This case stems from a petition filed by the West Bengal government, challenging a May 2024 order by the Calcutta High Court that quashed the state’s decision to include 77 communities in the OBC category. When the state appealed the order before the Supreme Court in August 2024, the bench, led by then Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, refused to grant a stay. The court also directed the state to submit an affidavit clarifying the process used for designating these 77 communities as OBCs, including whether a survey was conducted to assess their social and educational backwardness, as well as their underrepresentation in state services. Additionally, the court sought clarification on whether the West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes had been consulted regarding this inclusion.
At today’s hearing, the state government informed the court that it would initiate a fresh examination of the backwardness issue, with the reclassification process set to be completed within three months. The Supreme Court remarked that if the entire exercise is redone and fresh reservations are implemented without any grievances, the issue may eventually become irrelevant.