West Bengal expands OBC list, regularises 66 classes for 7% quota in jobs and services

In a major policy update that could reshape reservation politics in West Bengal, the state government on Tuesday issued a notification regularising 66 communities that were part of the OBC list prior to 2010.

The decision follows the scrapping of the earlier OBC list and comes amid efforts to rebuild the reservation framework in line with judicial directions. Under the fresh notification by the Backward Classes Welfare Department, these communities will now be eligible for inclusion under the revised 7 per cent reservation quota in government jobs and services. Many of the listed groups belong to socially and occupationally diverse backgrounds, including several Muslim communities.

The restored list includes communities such as Kapali, Kurmi, Nai (Napit), Tanti, Dhanuk, Kasai, Khandait, Turha, Paharia Muslim, Devanga, Hajjam (Muslim), among others. The order also covers individuals who converted from Scheduled Castes to Christianity, along with their descendants.

COURT-DIRECTED REVISION

The move has been issued in compliance with a May 2024 ruling of the Calcutta High Court, which had struck down the inclusion of multiple communities in the state’s OBC list, terming the process legally untenable.

The court had also invalidated the earlier bifurcation of OBCs into Category A and Category B, which earlier carried 10 per cent and 7 per cent quotas respectively. After the judgment, the overall OBC reservation ceiling in the state was fixed at 7 per cent.

BROADER IMPLICATIONS

The state government said the revised list is aimed at restoring legal clarity and ensuring that eligible communities continue to receive reservation benefits without procedural ambiguity.

However, the move is expected to have wider administrative and political implications, potentially reshaping intra-OBC dynamics and increasing competition among groups for access to limited reservation benefits. Analysts also suggest the decision could lead to further revisions as West Bengal moves toward a more stable and legally compliant reservation structure.