OBC quota case: SC junks Bengal govt’s plea for urgent hearing

Kolkata: The Supreme Court has reportedly declined the Bengal government’s request for an early hearing in the case relating to the state’s Other Backward Classes (OBC) certificate notification, challenged after a Calcutta High Court order.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai reportedly refused to advance the hearing date, stating the matter would be heard on the scheduled day next month. The state had moved the court seeking urgent listing, citing multiple complications arising from recent High Court orders on the OBC notification. State counsel requested that the matter be heard this Thursday or next Monday. However, the CJI said the case would neither be dropped from the list nor re-listed and would come up on its fixed date—likely September 9, according to court sources.

On July 28, the Supreme Court had granted an interim stay on the Calcutta High Court order in the case. On Monday, the apex court adjourned the matter by a month due to shortage of time.

The OBC dispute has stalled the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE) results, leaving lakhs of students uncertain about their future. Recently, Justice Kaushik Chanda of the Calcutta High Court set aside the published merit list and ordered a fresh one within 15 days, based on the pre-2010 list of 66 OBC communities. The court also directed that OBC students be allotted the earlier 7 per cent reservation quota.

Following this, the state decided to challenge the High Court directive before the Supreme Court. With the apex court hearing now deferred, Justice Chanda’s order remains in effect for the time being.