Constitutional and judicial crisis arising along the new OBC list of West Bengal, now moving towards a solution after the intervention of the Supreme Court. On June 17, 2025, the order issued by the Calcutta High Court not only challenged the state’s executive authority, but also pushed millions of students and employees into a legal whirlpool, where their future was uncertain. The most important thing that has come out in all this is that who has the responsibility to determine the boundaries of powers between constitutional institutions and keep the spirit of social justice alive.
In its order, the Calcutta High Court rejected the new OBC list issued by the West Bengal government on the grounds that there was no law on its back and obviously religion was made the only basis. As part of the 2024 decision, all OBC certificates issued after 2010 were declared ineffective, which directly affected the estimated five million people. Most of them belonged to the Muslim community, which have been recognized as OBCs till now. After that, when the state issued a new notification, a court petition was filed against him in the High Court and the court immediately stopped the notification.
The intervention of the Supreme Court in this complex situation proved to be decisive. On July 28, 2025, a bench led by Chief Justice of India, Justice Bra Gui immediately stopped the order of the Calcutta High Court. The bench stated in a twisted manner that at first glance, the order is completely wrong. The court, citing the Indira Sahni case 1992, reminded that the Nine -Member Constitutional Bench had already made it clear that backward classes could also be identified through executive instructions. For example, the Supreme Court not only ruled in favor of the state government, but also gave an example of the domination of constitutional principles and the powers of the executive.
This decision is about to change a significant change in the educational and employment scenario of West Bengal. According to the Education Department, the results of the engineering entrance examination in the state were delayed and admission in colleges was not possible despite the highest secondary results. The admission time limit in colleges was extended, while the recruitment examination of teachers was also uncertain. Advocate Kapil Sabal and Kalyan Banerjee argued before the Supreme Court that only 40,000 teachers were recruited due to OBC notification, nominations and several promotion of 9 million students were stopped. In such a case, the intervention of the Supreme Court is not only restoring the constitutional balance, but also a concrete step towards social justice.
Interestingly, the opposition lawyer Ranjit Kumar made serious allegations in the entire case, but the court did not accept his argument. In contrast, the Chief Justice directed the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court to build a new bench and solve the verdict within six to eight weeks. At the same time, it was also reported that the next hearing of the case would be two weeks later, where more arguments and answers would be reviewed.
At the political level, this decision has a profound impact. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Education Minister Bertia Basu called it the moral victory of the state. But even more important thing is that the Supreme Court accepted the need for OBC reservation and constitutional status. It has become clear that the use of executive powers for the development of backward classes is not only valid but constitutionally strong.
This problem has been limited not only to West Bengal, but has become an example of OBC reservation policy, its formation, its application and judicial review across the country. The court’s decision has not only become a new hope for millions of students and candidates, but also the message that democracy is stronger than justice, not only by votes.
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