The Supreme Court has declined to stay the Calcutta High Court's order that annulled the West Bengal government's decision to include 77 castes in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.

On May 22, the Calcutta High Court quashed a series of state orders issued between 2010 and 2012 that had included 77 castes in the OBC category, of which 75 were Muslim. The court also invalidated all OBC certificates issued in Bengal after 2010.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud issued a notice today regarding a petition filed by the Bengal government against the Calcutta High Court order.

The Supreme Court also requested the state to provide details of the survey conducted to determine the social and educational backwardness of the 77 communities before their inclusion in the OBC list. Additionally, the state government must disclose whether any consultation was held with the State Backward Commission regarding this matter.

The bench, comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, has also requested data on the alleged under-representation of the communities in state government services. The state has been given a week to file an affidavit.