Calcutta HC cancels all OBC certificates issued under revised rules by previous state Govt

New Delhi, Aug 13, 2026 : The Calcutta High Court has cancelled OBC all certificates issued under the OBC-A and OBC-B classifications introduced by the previous Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal.

A division bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha and Justice Anuj Singh yesterday while delivering the judgement said the two classifications no longer exist in the state and certificates issued under the earlier system have lost their validity. Holders of these certificates will now be treated as belonging to the general category.

The controversy dates back to 2010, when the state divided OBC communities into OBC-A and OBC-B categories. In 2024, the High Court had struck down the inclusion of 66 communities in the OBC list and ordered a fresh survey.

After the BJP government came to power in 2026, it abolished the OBC-A and OBC-B classification and introduced a single OBC category. The Suvendu Adhikari government also withdrew the previous administration’s challenge in the Supreme Court.

With the legal challenge withdrawn, the earlier certificates lost their legal basis, leading to Wednesday’s High Court order.