Background:
The case stems from a policy by the West Bengal government to include several castes, largely from Muslim communities, in the State’s OBC list.
Relevance: GS 2 ( Polity and Governance ).
- Supreme Court Observation: Reservation policies should not be based on religion.
- West Bengal Appeal: The State of West Bengal appealed a Calcutta High Court judgment that invalidated its policy of including several Muslim communities in the State’s OBC list.
- High Court Judgment: Concluded that religion was the sole criterion for declaring these communities as OBCs, which it deemed inappropriate.
- Advocate’s Argument: Senior advocate Kapil Sibal contended that the inclusion was based on socio-economic backwardness, not religion.
- Future Hearing: The Supreme Court scheduled the case for January7.
- Survey Clarification: The Supreme Court previously asked West Bengal to explain the survey methods used to determine the communities’ social and educational backwardness and their underrepresentation in State public services.
