OBC Case: Calcutta High Court’s Very Important Observation, New Direction for College Admissions
OBC Case: The Calcutta High Court has recently made a significant observation regarding OBC reservation and the admission process in colleges and universities, which has shown a new path for the state. It is hoped that this observation will bring transparency to the admission process for students on the state’s OBC list.
A division bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha and Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharya has stated that the 66 communities that were included in the OBC list after 2010 cannot be brought under the purview of reservation.
High Court’s Main Observation
According to the Calcutta High Court’s observation, the state government is currently in a dilemma. On the one hand, the state government has filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court regarding the OBC reservation verdict. On the other hand, another SLP has been filed against the Calcutta High Court’s order of June 17th. In this situation, the state government cannot make any final decision without waiting for the Supreme Court’s verdict, yet the admission process must also continue.
New System on the Online Portal
To ensure the smooth running of the admission process, the High Court has suggested a new system. When applying on the online admission portal, students will now be able to identify themselves as ‘OBC’ instead of OBC-A or OBC-B. This system will only apply to the 66 communities that were on the OBC list before 2010.
Due to this new system, all students who were on the OBC list before 2010 will be able to get admission without any legal complications. If the Supreme Court or the High Court issues any new directive in the future, the Higher Education Department will reopen the portal if necessary and take action accordingly.
State’s Position and Contempt of Court Case
The state’s Advocate General has stated that the state government is committed to complying with the verdict of the Calcutta High Court’s division bench. However, a contempt of court case has also been filed in this regard, in which the state’s Chief Secretary and others have been asked to file an affidavit. The next hearing of this case will be held in July.
The Path Forward
It is hoped that this observation by the Calcutta High Court will simplify the admission process. However, the state government and the students are looking forward to the final verdict of the Supreme Court. Now it remains to be seen how this new system will affect the state’s education system.
