Bengal Assembly Passes OBC Amendment Bill, Removes 77 Muslim Communities From List

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Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• West Bengal Assembly passed bills overhauling the state’s OBC reservation.
• Seventy-seven Muslim communities removed from West Bengal’s OBC list.
• Legislation complies with High Court order striking down prior classification.

The West Bengal Assembly on Monday passed two amendment Bills introducing sweeping changes to the state’s Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation framework. The legislation, passed by 186 votes to 17, aims to implement the Calcutta High Court’s May 2024 order that struck down the previous OBC classification process. As part of the overhaul, 77 Muslim communities have been removed from the OBC list, while several others remain eligible for reservation. The amendments also restructure the reservation system and redefine the role of the Backward Classes Commission.

What Has Changed?

The BJP government said the amendments were necessary to comply with the Calcutta High Court’s ruling, which questioned the process followed by the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC) government while granting OBC status.

Backward Classes Welfare Minister Gouri Shankar Ghosh told the Assembly that 113 categories included without field surveys had been removed, while 66 sub-categories backed by survey data had been retained.

Under the revised list, communities such as Jolah (Ansari Momin), Fakir, Paharia Muslim, Hajjam (Muslim) and Chauduli (Muslim) continue to remain on the OBC list. However, 77 Muslim communities, including Muslim Neheria, Muslim Haldar, Muslim Mali, Ghosi (Muslim), Muslim Darzi, Idrisi, Muslim Rajmistri and Muslim Molla, have been excluded.

The amended law also empowers the state government, in consultation with the Backward Classes Commission, to determine reservation percentages for different OBC categories.

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Opposition Objects

The legislation faced criticism from opposition legislators, who questioned both the process and the government’s intent.

ISF MLA Naushad Siddique alleged that the amendments appeared to single out a particular community and argued that all decisions on reservation should be based on scientific surveys, irrespective of religion.

He also claimed that changes to reservation limits should be supported by reliable data in line with Supreme Court guidelines and alleged that the government had failed to adequately address the issue in the new legislation.

The amended law also clarifies the powers, structure and responsibilities of the Backward Classes Commission, which will now examine future requests for inclusion or exclusion of communities before making recommendations to the state government.

Also Read: Bengal Government Passes Bills To Scrap TMC-Era OBC Reservation List