Calcutta High Court directs cancellation of all post-2010 OBC A, B certificates
Times of India | 13 August 2026
Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday directed the cancellation of all the other backward classes (OBC) A and B certificates issued after 2010.
The division bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha and Justice Anuj Singh gave the order after the state removed OBC B by a notification on May 18. They had also withdrawn from the case, filed by the previous govt in the Supreme Court, challenging the Calcutta HC decision to strike down 66 communities, marked as OBC, post 2010.
The division bench said those with OBC A and B certificates would now be treated under general category.
The dispute has its origins in a May 2024 HC judgment that invalidated OBC certificates issued to communities added after 2010. A fresh exercise was carried out by the state and a proposal was made to retain 17% reservation by recommending inclusion of certain communities. A case was filed in the HC, challenging the May 18 notification of the state. It was argued that withdrawal of state’s challenges before SC left applicants, seeking OBC certificates, in uncertainty. According to them the reservation reverted from 17% to 7%, affecting those who had applied under the previous framework.