West Bengal passes OBC bills, cuts Muslim sub-groups and restores backward class panel powers

The West Bengal assembly has passed two bills overhauling the state's OBC reservation framework. The new legislation recognises 66 communities — 54 Hindu and 12 Muslim — outside the SC/ST categories, significantly reducing the Muslim sub-groups that were included under the TMC-led government. The move reverses earlier changes made by the previous administration, which had faced legal scrutiny. The bills also restore authority to the West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes, making its recommendations binding on the government for classifying communities and fixing reservation percentages.