Calcutta High Court Invalidates OBC Status for 77 Classes: Judicial Oversight on Affirmative Action

The Calcutta High Court recently delivered a landmark judgment striking down the Other Backward Classes (OBC) status granted to 77 classes in West Bengal after 2010. The court invalidated these classifications, which were largely incorporated into the West Bengal Backward Classes Act of 2012, on the grounds that the selection process was 'arbitrary' and lacked the necessary empirical foundation required by the Constitution. The core of the legal challenge rested on the violation of Articles 14, 15, and 16. The court observed that the state government had bypassed the mandatory consultation process with the State Backward Classes Commission. Furthermore, the court noted that the identification of these classes was not based on a scientific study of social and educational backwardness but appeared to be driven by political considerations. This judgment draws heavily from the principles established in the Indra Sawhney (1992) case, which mandates that any reservation policy must be backed by quantifiable data to ensure it does not lead to the 'reverse discrimination' of other citizens.