Calcutta High Court OBC Case: The hearing for the OBC reservation case at the Calcutta High Court has been postponed. The division bench, comprising Justice Rajashekar Manta and Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty, heard the case. At the request of the state’s Advocate General, the court has scheduled the next hearing for July 16th. This case and other related matters will now be heard together.
Case Background
The case originated when a lawyer mentioned a pending case related to OBC admissions. In that case, a single bench had ordered a 7% OBC reservation based on a previous division bench ruling. The state government opposed this verdict, arguing that the original OBC judgment was ‘prospective,’ meaning it would apply to the future and not affect previous notifications or current job holders. However, the new single bench ruling did not consider this prospective aspect.
What Happened at the Hearing
- Plea for an Expedited Hearing: Lawyers representing those in favor of the 7% OBC reservation requested an expedited hearing for the case, citing that the admission process has been stalled for a year.
- Change in Hearing Date: Initially, the court had fixed July 14th for the hearing of all related matters. However, the Advocate General informed the court that the state’s SLP (Special Leave Petition) might be mentioned in the Supreme Court on July 14th and 15th. Therefore, acceding to the state’s request, the High Court postponed the hearing for all OBC-related cases to July 16th at 2:00 PM.
- No New Orders on SSC Recruitment: No new decisions were made regarding SSC recruitment or new admissions in the state during this hearing. The previous order allowing the state to proceed with the recruitment process based on 66 categories remains in effect until the Supreme Court issues a new order.
Major Update on the Website
A significant change has been observed on the website of the West Bengal Backward Classes Welfare Department. Now, new OBC applications are only for “OBC” certificates, without any distinction between “OBC A” or “OBC B”. Furthermore, the list for selecting OBC categories only includes those valid before 2010. This indicates that the state government is provisionally implementing the High Court’s judgment.
Future Implications
If the Supreme Court does not issue any new directives, the state will have to conduct admission and recruitment processes in accordance with the High Court’s judgment. All eyes will be on this case in the coming days, as the future of many job aspirants and students in the state depends on its outcome.
