West Bengal’s BJP government has restored reservation benefits for 66 communities that were on the state’s Other Backward Classes list before 2010, marking a sharp policy reset days after scrapping the wider OBC framework shaped under the previous Trinamool Congress administration.
The Suvendu Adhikari-led cabinet’s decision returns the state to a 7 per cent OBC quota in public employment and education for the pre-2010 list, while ending the two-tier OBC-A and OBC-B structure that had expanded reservations to 17 per cent. The move follows a Calcutta High Court ruling that struck down the inclusion of several communities added from 2010 onwards, citing flaws in the process used to determine backwardness and questioning the legal basis for executive-driven changes to the list.
Officials have begun aligning recruitment and admission systems with the revised framework. The change is expected to affect ongoing college admissions, government job appointments and certificate verification processes, particularly for candidates whose eligibility depended on communities added after 2010. Institutions have been asked to follow the restored list until a fresh review is completed through legally valid procedures.
The 66 communities brought back into the operative list include groups such as Kapali, Kurmi, Nai, Tanti, Kumbhakar, Yogi-Nath, Goala-Gope, Sutradhar, Karmakar, Swarnakar, Teli, Dhanuk and several Muslim social groups that were recognised before the disputed expansion. The government has presented the decision as a compliance measure rather than a political reversal, arguing that the original list had legal protection while the later additions required closer scrutiny.
The controversy dates back to changes made after 2010, when 77 communities were added to the OBC category through executive decisions and later through the 2012 reservation law. A large number of those additions involved Muslim sub-groups, making the issue politically sensitive in a state where caste, community identity and minority representation have long influenced electoral mobilisation. The High Court held that the classification process did not meet the required standards of objective assessment and statutory procedure.
The previous administration had defended its policy by arguing that the list was based on social and educational backwardness, not religion. It had also moved higher judicial forums after the High Court order invalidated certificates issued under the disputed framework. The legal battle created uncertainty for candidates, students and public authorities, with nearly five lakh OBC certificates potentially affected by the judgment.
The Adhikari government has also ordered a wider re-verification of caste certificates issued since 2011. That exercise covers around 1.69 crore documents, including Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and OBC certificates. About 48 lakh OBC certificates fall within the review net, alongside roughly one crore Scheduled Caste certificates and 21 lakh Scheduled Tribe certificates. The administration has said improperly issued certificates could invite legal action, while beneficiaries who obtained appointments under valid processes are expected to be assessed in line with court directions.
The political implications are substantial. The BJP has long accused the Trinamool Congress of using community classification to consolidate minority support, while Trinamool leaders have argued that backward communities were being denied legitimate representation. The restoration of the pre-2010 list enables the new government to frame the issue around legal compliance and administrative correction, even as opposition parties are likely to cast the move as disruptive for marginalised groups.
