West Bengal Restores 7 pc OBC Quota for 66 Communities, Ends Religion Based Classification

The West Bengal government has restored the eligibility of 66 communities under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, reinstating a 7 per cent reservation in government jobs and services while discontinuing religion based categorisation in the state’s backward classes list.

The decision follows a major cabinet move taken in compliance with a 2024 judgment of the Calcutta High Court , which struck down the inclusion of 77 communities added between 2010 and 2012 , terming them illegal and unconstitutional . The court had also invalidated OBC certificates issued after 2010, while protecting those granted earlier.

Under the revised framework, 66 communities that existed in the state’s OBC list prior to 2010 have been regularised and placed under a unified 7 per cent quota . The earlier system that divided OBCs into Category A (10 per cent) and Category B (7 per cent) has now been scrapped.

Communities such as Kurmi, Kapali, Karmakar, Tanti, Napit, Dhanuk, Kasai, Khandait, Devanga and Goala are among those reinstated. Three Muslim communities, Paharia, Hajjam and Chowduli, are also part of the updated list.

A notification from the Backward Classes Welfare Department stated that the restructuring aims to align the reservation system with judicial directives and ensure administrative clarity ahead of the upcoming census exercise , which is expected to influence future policy decisions.

The move is likely to reshape the state’s reservation landscape , with experts saying the consolidation of OBC categories may intensify competition among groups for limited quota benefits and carry wider political implications.

Former civil servant Jawhar Sircar said the post-2010 inclusions lacked adequate socio-economic backing and were implemented without proper field surveys. He added that the restructuring could have a stronger political impact than socio-economic consequences, particularly in representation patterns.

Social justice observers noted that earlier inclusion in the OBC list had improved access to education and public sector jobs for several communities, but the latest removal of many groups could reduce their representation in sectors such as teaching and police services .

With this revision, the state government has effectively reset its OBC framework to the pre-2010 structure , marking one of the most significant overhauls of reservation policy in recent years.