"State govt getting under scanner is now a routine affair": Suvendu Adhikari slams WB govt over OBC reservation

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], May 22 (ANI): Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Thursday strongly criticised the state government for failing to implement the OBC reservation order issued by a Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court.
"The State Government getting under the scanner is now a routine affair," Adhikari wrote on microblogging platform X. "Today, the Hon'ble Justice Kausik Chanda has directed immediate implementation of the OBC reservation order passed by the Hon'ble Division Bench."
He stated that the court rejected the state government's plea for a deferral, which cited ongoing proceedings in the Supreme Court.
"The plea of the State regarding the issue pending before the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India has been thwarted, stating that the State has failed to obtain any stay on the Hon'ble Division Bench order," Adhikari added.
Referring to the order's implementation, Adhikari wrote, "Henceforth, if the caste of the candidate is included in the O.B.C. list, introduced by the Backward Class Department of the State prior to 2010, they shall receive the benefit of O.B.C. Reservation."
He concluded the post by stating, "Bad days ahead for the corrupt, pseudo-secular State Government."
Meanwhile, the directive from Justice Chanda also addressed confusion surrounding post-2010 OBC certification, noting that certificates issued after that period often mention only categories (A) or (B) without listing the specific caste.
A screenshot of the court order shared by Adhikari states, "There should not, however, be any difficulty in identifying candidates deserving of O.B.C. reservation following the Division Bench judgment. The O.B.S. certificates that have been issued even after 2010 indicate the caste of the candidates."
"In view of the matter and as suggested by the different parties before this Court, the Court passes the following order to complete the admission process," the order continues.
It reads, "(a) The West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination Board shall publish a notification on its web portal inviting all O.B.C. (A) and O.B.S. (B) candidates to disclose their caste identity by uploading a copy of their O.B.C. caste certificates. Additionally, the candidates shall be notified by SMS sent to their disclosed mobile numbers in this regard."
The Calcutta High Court's ruling came after the State's plea for deferral was dismissed, as it failed to secure a stay from the Supreme Court.
This development comes amid increasing scrutiny of the West Bengal Government's handling of reservation policies and administrative compliance. (ANI)