Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has firmly stated that she “will not accept” the Calcutta High Court’s decision to cancel all Other Backward Classes (OBC) certificates issued in Bengal since 2011 under the Trinamool Congress administration. She argues that this ruling “will take away the rights granted to the Tapashili community.”
The court declared these certificates “illegal” but clarified that this decision would not affect those currently employed, enrolled in educational institutions, or those who have already made applications using these certificates. The court also invalidated the reservation for several communities classified as OBCs under a 2012 state law.
Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Rajasekhar Mantha noted that the executive orders classifying 66 classes of OBCs before 2010 were not impacted, as these were not contested in the petitions.
Mamata Banerjee criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming, “PM Modi had claimed that Muslims after winning will cancel the reservations for Tapashilis. It was a divisive agenda again. And this is what they got the court to do today. I respect the courts. But I do not accept the judgment that says Muslims should be kept out of OBC reservation. OBC reservations will continue. We will go to a higher court if need be.”
The Chief Minister asserted that the OBC reservation quota introduced by the West Bengal government would remain in place. She emphasized that the Bill was drafted following a comprehensive house-to-house survey and was passed by both the cabinet and the assembly, despite BJP’s efforts to block it in court.
In her remarks, Mamata Banerjee also criticized specific judges, stating, “One judge is saying, ‘I am an RSS person,’ another one joins the BJP… How can you be a judge this way and preside over courts?”
Senior party leader and Banerjee’s nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, echoed her sentiments, alleging that the court’s decision is part of the BJP’s broader strategy to cancel reservations for the Tapashili community.
