West Bengal Identifies 140 OBC Sub-Groups in New Survey

The West Bengal government is preparing to present findings from a new survey on Other Backward Classes (OBC) during the upcoming monsoon session of the state assembly, which begins on June 9. The survey has identified 140 distinct sub-groups eligible under the OBC category. The administration is also expected to maintain its existing 17% reservation for OBC communities.

The matter was reviewed during a state cabinet meeting held on Monday. This recent survey follows a commitment made to the Supreme Court on March 19, where the state assured it would complete a revised OBC enumeration within three months, targeting the third week of June for completion. The apex court had asked the state to provide justification for the classification of these sub-groups as socially and educationally backward.

To carry out the task, the West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes enlisted the support of two independent research bodies — the Cultural Research Institute and the Bureau of Applied Economics and Statistics — to assess the socio-economic standing of various groups.

Public input was solicited to determine if any groups should be added or removed. In total, the commission evaluated 76 additional sub-groups. Previously, the OBC list included 66 groups, but two were found ineligible based on the set criteria. As a result, 140 sub-groups are now likely to be listed under the OBC category. Decisions regarding the two ineligible groups will be made later, according to officials.

The background of this review stems from a Calcutta High Court verdict in May 2024, which invalidated around 12 lakh OBC certificates. The state government challenged this ruling in the Supreme Court. The High Court had criticized the earlier classification process, suggesting that religious identity appeared to be the sole factor behind many OBC designations.

In response, the Bengal government defended its inclusion of 77 castes in the OBC list, emphasizing that these decisions followed a comprehensive process involving two surveys and hearings conducted by the backward classes commission.

Currently, the state provides 17% reservation for OBCs, divided into two categories: OBC-A (10%) with 81 recognized communities, including 56 Muslim groups, and OBC-B (7%) encompassing 99 communities, of which 41 are Muslim.

Officials noted that the High Court's ruling had affected several lakh job applicants whose OBC certificates were invalidated. To address this, the government expedited the new survey to enable the issuance of updated certificates without delay.