Kolkata/IBNS: In a fresh blow to the Mamata Banerjee government, the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday ordered a stay on West Bengal's new Other Backward Class (OBC) list which was notified earlier in June, media reports said.

A division bench comprising Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Rajasekhar Mantha issued the stay on the list till July 31.

The next hearing will be held on July 24.

Justice Mantha during the hearing criticised the state government's "inconsistency" in reverting to the 1993 Act when the 2012 OBC Act was half done.

Earlier in June, the state cabinet had included 76 castes to the OBC list comprising existing 64 castes.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had rejected the Opposition's charge that her government was planning to make reservations on the basis of religion stating the backwardness and not religion was the only benchmark to decide OBC status.

The Calcutta High Court last year cancelled all Other Backward Classes (OBC) certificates issued in West Bengal after 2010.

The verdict was given by a division bench comprising Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Rajasekhar Mantha.

The judgement was delivered on a PIL challenging the process of granting OBC certificates.

The West Bengal Backward Classes (Other than Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) (Reservation of Vacancies in Services and Posts) Act, 2012 section 2H, 5, 6 and Section 16 and Schedule I and III were struck down by the high court as 'unconstitutional'.

Reacting to the verdict, Leader of Opposition and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Suvendu Adhikari wrote on X, "... The Mamata Banerjee led TMC Government’s blatant appeasement politics, as evident from the disproportionate inclusion of almost 90% new Muslim Classes in the OBC list, has been directly affront to the principles of equality and fairness."

"... Today’s stay order is a powerful reminder that the rule of law prevails over political opportunism. I salute the Judiciary for upholding justice and ensuring that reservations are not misused as a tool for vote-bank politics."