‘Provide info on OBC surveys’: West Bengal govt gets notice from National Commission for Backward Classes

The Calcutta High Court observed on Tuesday that the state’s recent OBC notifications may not have been issued in accordance with the law, staying the list. The state has challenged this at the Supreme Court

TMC leader Mamata Banerjee (Express File)

Written by: Tanushree Bose

3 min readKolkataJun 19, 2025 05:14 PM IST First published on: Jun 19, 2025 at 05:14 PM IST

The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) issued a notice last week to West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Panth, seeking detailed information on the surveys conducted for the newly announced Other Backward Classes (OBC) list in the state within three days. According to NCBC sources, they are yet to receive a response, and they may send another notice.

The notice came before a division bench of the Calcutta High Court, comprising Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Rajasekhar Mantha, observed on Tuesday that the state’s recent OBC notifications may not have been issued in accordance with the law.

According to sources, the NCBC sought clarity on the criteria and methodology used by the state to prepare the updated OBC list. The commission has specifically asked for details of the surveys purportedly conducted prior to the inclusion of several castes in the list.

Last Tuesday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, addressing the state Assembly, presented a report on the revised OBC list. She announced an increase in OBC reservation from 7 percent to 10 percent, with 49 castes under the OBC-A category and 91 castes under OBC-B. The Chief Minister stated that extremely backward castes were placed under the OBC-A category.

However, the next day, a petition was filed in the Calcutta High Court challenging the list. The petitioner questioned how such a survey could have been conducted so quickly and whether due legal and procedural norms were followed.

Meanwhile, NCBC Chairperson Hansraj Gangaram Ahir posted on X, stating: “NCBC has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary, Government of West Bengal, seeking replies in response to NCBC’s earlier notice dated December 22, 2023, and subsequent letter… dated February 19, 2024. Time of three to six months was sought (by the state) to provide the information. Despite a lapse of more than a year, the requisite information is still awaited.”

Ahir noted that several castes had been notified in the state’s OBC list through three executive notifications dated June 3, 2025, saying that they mention that the listings were based on “detailed surveys”.

The NCBC had asked the state government to submit the recommendations of the West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes along with full survey reports—particularly information pertaining to “points 13(C), 13(D), and 19(a) of the official proforma”—within three working days, along with supporting documents.

On Tuesday, the Calcutta High Court imposed an interim stay on the state’s notifications regarding 140 subsections under the OBC-A and OBC-B categories. The stay will remain in effect until July 31. The petition challenging the list was filed by Amal Chandra Das.

The bench clarified that individuals holding OBC certificates issued prior to 2010 will remain eligible for employment and education benefits. However, it reiterated its previous ruling from May 2024, which struck down OBC status for several classes—77 classes granted between April and September 2010, and 37 classes added under the West Bengal Reservation Act, 2012.

This ruling is currently under challenge before the Supreme Court, where the matter remains sub judice.