Overview
- The Suvendu Adhikari government on Tuesday issued a notification that keeps 66 communities listed before 2010 and limits state OBC reservation to a single 7% quota.
- The move cites a Calcutta High Court Division Bench judgment from May 2024 that struck down OBC inclusions made after 2010 and cancelled certificates issued after that year.
- The Backward Classes Welfare Department has asked district magistrates to re‑verify caste certificates issued after 2011 and the state says roughly 4.8 million such certificates will be reviewed.
- Colleges and recruitment bodies are seeking legal advice on whether the new 7% rule applies to ongoing admissions and teacher hiring, and the School Service Commission has paused to get a formal opinion.
- The change removes many groups added under later governments, disproportionately affecting Muslim sub‑castes, and is likely to prompt fresh court challenges and political disputes while altering representation in colleges and jobs.