West Bengal to table caste survey in assembly, lists 140 sub-groups for 17% OBC quota benefits
Times of India | 3 June 2025
Image used is for representational purposes only KOLKATA: West Bengal govt will table an OBC survey that has identified a total of 140 sub-groups under this category during the monsoon session of assembly, beginning June 9. The state govt is also likely to retain 17% OBC reservation, reports Debashis Konar. The state cabinet in a meeting on Monday approved the recommendation of West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes (WBCBC) to include 76 sub-castes to OBC list, thereby entitling them to reservation benefits along with 64 other communities.Calcutta HC had last year scrapped OBC certificates awarded to 77 communities since 2010, an overwhelming majority of them Muslim, prompting the TMC govt to approach Supreme Court. The state govt told SC on March 19 that it would complete the fresh OBC survey within three months, setting a June third-week deadline. The apex court had asked the state to clarify the social and educational backwardness of these sub-groups.Earlier, the OBC list had 66 sub-groups, but two of them did not match the required criteria. This total of 140 subgroups are likely to be included in the OBC list. “The decision on the two groups will be taken later,” an official said.The OBC legal gridlock for Bengal govt started with HC in May 2024 nullifying 12 lakh caste certificates, striking down the OBC status of a number of these. “Religion indeed appears to have been the sole criterion for declaring these communities as OBCs,” the HC observed.During the SC hearing, Bengal govt stood by its decision to include 77 castes in the OBC list, saying the additions were made after conducting the required elaborate three-tier process.Bengal provides 17% OBC reservation, divided into two buckets — OBC A, which has 10% quota and 81 communities, out of which 56 are Muslim, and OBC B, which has 7% quota and 99 communities, out of which 41 are Muslim.