The West Bengal government on Tuesday, 19 May issued a formal notification regularising 66 communities that were part of the state's Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation list prior to 2010, reducing the total OBC reservation in the state to 7 per cent. The move follows the new government's decision to scrap the existing OBC list entirely, and comes in direct compliance with a Calcutta High Court Division Bench order dated 22 May 2024.

Background: What the Court Ordered

The Calcutta High Court Division Bench had struck down the earlier OBC reservation structure, which allocated 10 per cent for Category A and 7 per cent for Category B. In response, the Department of Backward Class Welfare issued this notification to bring the state's reservation framework in line with the court's directive. The total OBC reservation has now been consolidated at 7 per cent across government services and posts.

Which Communities Are Covered

The 66 categories retained in the revised list represent a wide cross-section of traditional and social communities. These include Kapali, Kurmi, Nai (Napit), Tanti, Dhanuk, Kasai, Khandait, Turha, Paharia Muslim, Devanga, and Hajjam (Muslim), among others. Notably, the notification also extends OBC status to persons who converted to Christianity from Scheduled Castes and their descendants.

Impact on Reservation Policy

According to experts, the consolidation of previously separate OBC categories into a single 7 per cent pool is expected to intensify competition for reserved posts among the listed communities. The earlier two-tier structure — Category A and Category B — had distributed the reservation burden differently; its removal fundamentally alters the competitive dynamics within OBC applicants in the state.

This comes amid a broader national debate over OBC sub-categorisation, following the Supreme Court's landmark ruling in 2024 permitting states to sub-classify OBC groups based on their degree of backwardness. West Bengal's move, however, moves in the opposite direction — collapsing categories rather than sub-dividing them.

Government's Position

A Governor's order accompanying the notification clarified that all 66 communities will be eligible for the 7 per cent reservation in state government services. The state government stated that the decision is aimed at ensuring social justice and transparency in accordance with the court's directives. The Department of Backward Class Welfare is the nodal body overseeing the implementation of the revised framework.

How the state manages competing claims within the unified 7 per cent pool — and whether further litigation follows — will determine the practical impact of this notification in the months ahead.