Supreme Court Scrutinizes Religious Basis for Reservation in West Bengal

The Supreme Court addressed pleas against a Calcutta High Court ruling invalidating OBC status for certain West Bengal communities. The high court deemed religious criteria as illegal for classifying some Muslim groups as backward, leading to extensive debate over reservations extended in 2010 and 2012.

The Supreme Court intervened on Monday to discuss various appeals challenging a Calcutta High Court decision that annulled the OBC status for certain West Bengal castes granted in previous years. The Court deemed religious criteria as an illegal basis for reservation.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal represented the West Bengal government, asserting that the reservations were based on backwardness, not religion. The high court's decision had struck down both the 2010 and 2012 reservations, affecting numerous public sector and educational opportunities.

Justice B R Gavai and Justice K V Viswanathan noted the substantial implications for thousands, as the Supreme Court scheduled detailed arguments for January. The contentious debate centers on whether these reservations unfairly leverage religious classification.

(With inputs from agencies.)