The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday struck down several classes as Other Backward Classes (OBC) under an Act of 2012 of West Bengal for reservation of vacancies in services and posts in the state, finding them illegal. According to the court order, the OBC certificate that was issued by the State Government now cannot be used to get any job or any facilities. Almost 5 lakh OBC certificates were cancelled after this order.
Speaking to News18, Prasun Maitra, who filed the petition seeking scrapping of these classes as OBC in 2020, said he was very happy. Maitra runs the Aatmadeep NGO, a Human Rights organisation. He filed the PIL in 2020 and others joined him.
Here is an edited excerpt of Maitra’s interview with News18:
Q: What led you to file this PIL?
Prasun Maitra: Our NGO Aatmadeep is a Human Rights Organisation which works on the appeasement of no one. When we came to know about this Act which came out in 2012, people criticised it saying that it was based on religious identity. We thought we should do something. In 2020, we filed an application asking court to quash this Act. Reservation should be on the basis of economics, but here we saw it was based on religion. Under this Act, Muslims got 98 per cent reservation, and that’s not right. There was discrimination, there was quota within quota. They divided backward classes, that’s why we approached the court. Today, we are happy that this was quashed.
Q: How big has this battle been?
Prasun Maitra: This was huge and a long legal battle, it took so much of money and strength. The government fought tooth and nail against us, the Attorney General himself stood for this case and fought, but our team fought well. It’s not easy to fight the administration here. I was arrested for Telenipara riots. It took a lot of courage to stand against the State Government, against community. Any statement made here against the government is dangerous. There is no freedom of speech and expression here now. Yet, I filed a case and thankfully, we won today for the larger community.
Q: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee says the BJP behind this?
Praun Maitra: Naturally, it’s election time, everybody will take credit and others will say all these things to pass the blame. Why did BJP not do this in so may years? If Modi did something, why not in 2014 to 2024? This act was from 2012. For 10 long years, the BJP did not do anything. Why? The BJP has nothing to do with this. The system was getting hijacked, and that’s why we had to file a case. This is a fight for Bengali Hindus. We are doing it for our future generations, so that they don’t have a problem in the future. We are happy that the judgement came in our favour.
Q: The CM has said that it is a ploy to do bad things with minorities? You don’t want to give reservation to minorities?
Prasun Maitra: It’s her theory, her interpretation. Everything cannot be in politicians’ hands, they have their own interpretation. Reservation should be given to people on the basis of economy. We have the Backward commission here, they should actually decide and tell the government about people who are in real need and who can be minority or majority. Here, it’s done on the basis of religion. This is politics. She did not give reservation. She gave rights to those whom she can use for votes. She did not give it to people who really need it.
Q: She says she will go to the apex court. What’s your take?
Prasun Maitra: She can go. Our legal system allows that. The rule of law must prevail. She can say lots of things and can go to the apex court. Her administration asked for a stay to approach the apex court, the court did not give a stay. She definitely can go to court. We are in a civilised society, our behaviour should not reflect something that our image goes down.
Q: PM Narendra Modi also mentioned about this. How do you feel?
Prasun Maitra: I am very happy, it’s a great feeling. But he did it as a BJP campaigner, not the PM. There is politics going on. I would want the CM also to mention this, though critical, but it will be a good memory.
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