Sweeping changes to the reservation system approved, reducing OBC quota from 17 to seven per cent
KOLKATA — West Bengal’s reservation system has undergone one of its biggest changes in recent years after the state Assembly passed amendments restoring the pre-2010 Other Backward Classes (OBC) list and reducing the OBC reservation quota from 17 to seven per cent. The move has resulted in the removal of dozens of communities that had been included in the OBC category during the Left Front and Trinamool Congress governments. Among those most affected are several Muslim communities that had enjoyed OBC status for more than a decade.
The changes came after the Assembly passed the State Backward Classes Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the West Bengal Backward Classes (Reservation of Vacancies in Services and Posts) Amendment Bill, 2026 on Monday. Through these amendments, the government restored the original OBC list that existed before the large-scale expansion carried out in 2010 and 2012. As a result, only 66 communities now remain in the state’s OBC category. Of these, 54 belong to the Hindu and 12 belong to the Muslim communities.
The roots of the issue go back to the implementation of the Mandal Commission recommendations. After OBC reservations were introduced across the country, the then Left Front government led by Jyoti Basu identified backward communities in West Bengal and extended reservation benefits to them. Although the Mandal Commission had identified a larger number of backward groups in the state, the government initially included only 66 communities in the OBC list. Those communities formed the basis of West Bengal’s reservation framework for several years.
A major change took place in 2010 under the Left Front government headed by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. The government decided to increase OBC reservation and added 42 new communities to the backward class list, raising the total number of OBC communities from 66 to 108. The government also announced a 10 per cent reservation for socially and educationally backward Muslim groups in state government jobs. At the same time, the OBC category was divided into two groups known as OBC-A and OBC-B. Communities placed under OBC-A were entitled to 10 per cent reservation, while those under OBC-B received 7 per cent reservation. Of the 108 communities included in the list at that stage, 53 belonged to Muslim groups.
The expansion continued after Mamata Banerjee came to power in 2011. Within a year of forming the government, the Trinamool Congress administration introduced another major revision of the OBC list. In 2012, 35 additional communities were included in the category. Together, the Left Front and Trinamool Congress governments added 77 communities to the OBC list. According to records cited during debates on the issue, the expanded list eventually included 113 sub-groups, of which 77 belonged to Muslim communities and 36 to Hindu communities. The increased representation of Muslim groups in the OBC category became a major political issue in subsequent years, with opposition parties repeatedly questioning the process through which many communities were included.
The matter eventually reached the courts. Several petitions challenged the inclusion of a large number of communities in the OBC category. In May 2024, the Calcutta High Court delivered a landmark judgment, striking down the recognition granted to 77 communities that had been added during 2010 and 2012. The court held that the process adopted for including those communities did not meet legal requirements. The judgment effectively cancelled the recognition granted to those groups under the expanded OBC framework.
The court’s decision had far-reaching consequences. Reports indicated that nearly 1.2 million OBC certificates issued after 2010 were affected by the judgment. However, the court protected the interests of those who had already secured government jobs through the reservation system, allowing their appointments to remain valid. Certificates issued before 2010 were also left untouched. Legal experts observed that the judgment focused on the procedure followed for identifying backward communities rather than on the religious identity of any particular group. One legal observer said, “The court examined whether statutory requirements were followed before granting OBC status. The issue before the court was legality and procedure.”
Following the court’s decision, the government moved to restore the original OBC framework. The amendments passed by the Assembly have now formally reinstated the pre-2010 list of 66 communities. This means that dozens of communities added over the past decade and a half have lost their place in the state OBC category. The government has also abolished the 10 per cent OBC-A reservation quota, reducing the total OBC reservation from 17 per cent to 7 per cent.
The decision has caused concern among several Muslim organisations and community representatives. Many argue that the affected groups continue to face educational and economic disadvantages and should not lose reservation benefits. A representative of a backward Muslim organisation said, “Many students and job seekers from these communities depended on reservation opportunities. There is anxiety about what this decision means for their future.” Another activist said, “The social and economic conditions of these communities have not changed. Many families believe that a fresh survey should be conducted before such benefits are withdrawn.”
After the restructuring, only 12 Muslim communities remain in the state’s OBC list. These include Jola or Julaha, traditionally associated with weaving; Fakir or Sai, linked to Sufi traditions; Shah or Shahji, known for folk singing traditions; Rain or Kunjra, associated with vegetable trading and agriculture; Shershahabadia, largely concentrated in Malda and Murshidabad districts; Nai or Hajjam, traditionally involved in barbering; Choduli Muslim; Paharia Muslim; Dhunia or Mansuri, associated with cotton and quilt work; and Kasai or Qureshi, traditionally linked to the meat trade. These communities have been recognised as socially and educationally backward since the early years of the state’s reservation framework and continue to remain in both state and central backward class lists.
At the same time, several Muslim communities that had received OBC status during the expansion period have now been removed. These include Haldar, Muslim Sanpui, Muslim Mali, Ghosi (Muslim), Muslim Darzi, Ostagar, Idrisi, Muslim Rajmistri, Muslim Batiyara, Muslim Molla and Dhali (Muslim), among others. Community representatives point out that many of these groups continue to be recognised as OBCs in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. One leader from Murshidabad said, “Our social condition has not changed simply because our status has changed on paper. Many people feel they are being deprived of opportunities.”
Before the latest amendments, West Bengal’s reservation structure provided 22 per cent reservation for Scheduled Castes, 6 per cent for Scheduled Tribes, 10 per cent for OBC-A communities, 7 per cent for OBC-B communities and 3 per cent for persons with disabilities. The removal of the OBC-A category has reduced the overall OBC quota by 10 percentage points, bringing it down from 17 per cent to 7 per cent. The changes are expected to affect future recruitment and admissions across the state.
Supporters of the amendments argue that the government has merely implemented the spirit of the court’s judgment and restored the original reservation structure. Critics, however, contend that thousands of socially and educationally disadvantaged families, particularly among Muslim communities, could lose access to opportunities that had become available to them over the past decade. With reservation remaining one of the most sensitive political issues in West Bengal, the debate surrounding the new OBC framework is likely to continue in the months ahead.
