In a significant ruling, the Calcutta High Court has declared all certificates issued to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in West Bengal since 2011 under the Trinamool Congress administration as “illegal”. This move, according to the court, will not impact individuals currently holding jobs, educational seats, or those who have applied with caste certificates.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has vehemently opposed the decision of Calcutta High Court, emphasizing that it threatens to strip away the rights granted to the Tapashili community. “I will not accept this order. It will take away the rights granted to the Tapashili community,” she stated firmly.
The Calcutta High Court decision also strikes down reservations for various communities classified as Other Backward Classes under a law passed by the state government in 2012. However, Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Rajasekhar Mantha clarified that executive orders classifying 66 classes of OBCs before 2010 remain unaffected, as they were not contested in the petitions.
Reacting to the ruling, Banerjee criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that his previous remarks about canceling reservations for Tapashilis have materialized through the court’s decision. “PM Modi had claimed that Muslims after winning will cancel the reservations for Tapashilis. It was a divisive agenda again,” she remarked, expressing her intent to challenge the verdict of Calcutta High Court in a higher court if necessary.
Asserting the continuity of OBC reservation quotas introduced by the West Bengal government, Banerjee highlighted the extensive groundwork preceding the implementation of the Bill. “We had drafted the Bill after conducting a house-to-house survey, and it was passed by the cabinet and the assembly… The BJP has conspired to stall it but they lost in court,” she asserted.
Banerjee further criticized certain judges of the High Court, alleging their affiliations with political ideologies. “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?” she questioned.
Abhishek Banerjee, senior party leader and Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, echoed her sentiments, accusing the court’s judgment of being aligned with the BJP’s agenda to revoke reservations for the Tapashili community.
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