The Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government has received interim relief from the Supreme Court in the ongoing West Bengal OBC quota case.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai has stayed the Calcutta High Court’s interim order, which halted the state’s revised list of OBC sub-categories.
The Supreme Court issued notices to the concerned parties after hearing all sides on the state’s petition. The next hearing will take place on 4 August.
CJI Gavai questioned the High Court’s approach, saying, “It is surprising how the High Court can stay like this.”
New OBC List Faces Challenge After High Court Stay
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the state, argued that filling up 9 lakh seats is at stake, and hence a stay is necessary.
The West Bengal government had prepared a new list in May 2024 after the Calcutta High Court struck down the previous inclusion of 77 communities in the OBC category.
Following this, the state submitted that it would create a fresh list to identify OBCs. The new list of 140 sub-categories was presented in the West Bengal Assembly on 10 June 2024, replacing the earlier list of 113 categories.
Of the new groups, 80 are Muslims and 60 are non-Muslims.
The Calcutta High Court had placed an interim stay on the updated OBC-A and OBC-B lists. The state then challenged this order in the Supreme Court. The apex court has now put that stay on hold temporarily.
The court will further hear the matter in August, determining whether the West Bengal government’s decision on OBC quota classification holds constitutional validity.
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