Caste Certificate Verification in West Bengal has been put on hold after the Calcutta High Court imposed an interim stay on the state government’s May 14 notification covering certificates issued since 2011.
Division Bench restrains the state from taking action under its May 14 notification, while allowing district officials to examine specific complaints about individual caste certificates.
Qalam Times News Network
Kolkata, August 18, 2026
KOLKATA: Caste Certificate Verification has been temporarily put on hold by the Calcutta High Court, which has imposed an interim stay on a West Bengal government notification ordering a fresh scrutiny of caste certificates issued over several years.
The Caste Certificate Verification process was proposed through a notification issued by the state government on May 14. Under the order, caste certificates issued since 2011, including those belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC), were to undergo verification. The government had also indicated that certificates found to be fraudulent could be cancelled after scrutiny.
The notification has now been challenged before the High Court, with the petitioners questioning the legal basis and procedure adopted by the state government for undertaking such a large-scale review. After hearing the matter, a Division Bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Tapobrata Chakraborty granted an interim stay on the government’s notification.
The court’s order means that no action can presently be taken on the basis of the May 14 notification. However, the Bench has made it clear that the authorities are not prevented from examining specific allegations concerning an individual caste certificate. Where a particular complaint is formally submitted to the government, the concerned district officials may examine the allegation and take an appropriate decision according to law.
The controversy surrounding OBC certificates in West Bengal has continued for several years. Questions over the validity and issuance of OBC certificates had already become a major issue during the previous government’s tenure. The latest government subsequently decided to undertake a fresh examination of caste certificates issued between 2011 and 2024.
According to the government’s position, the proposed verification was intended to establish whether certificates had been issued to eligible persons and whether the supporting information provided by applicants was genuine. The authorities argued that various documents and family-related caste records could be examined as part of the verification process.
During the hearing, senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya, appearing for the petitioners, argued that the state did not have the authority to undertake such a sweeping exercise and cancel certificates on such a large scale without following the procedure prescribed by law.
Advocate General Surjit Nath Mitra, representing the state government, took a different position. He submitted before the court that the government could examine documents such as voter identity cards, Aadhaar records and other relevant documents, along with family and caste-related information, when determining the validity of a certificate.
After considering the arguments from both sides, the Division Bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Tapobrata Chakraborty decided to place the May 14 notification under an interim stay. Consequently, the proposed statewide exercise cannot presently be implemented on the strength of that notification.
The ruling does not, however, create a blanket protection for certificates that may be subject to genuine complaints. If a specific allegation is brought before the authorities, the relevant district officials can still investigate the matter and take a decision in accordance with the applicable legal provisions.
The interim order is therefore significant because it temporarily separates two issues: the government’s proposed mass verification of certificates issued since 2011 and the investigation of individual complaints concerning allegedly invalid or fraudulent certificates.
The case is likely to remain important for thousands of certificate holders across West Bengal, particularly those whose educational opportunities, employment, reservations or other statutory benefits may depend upon the validity of their caste certificates.
