Supreme Court Denies Bengal Relief for OBC Status Quashing for 77 Castes

The high court’s decision on May 22 involved the nullification of a series of state orders from 2010-12, which had added 77 castes, including 75 Muslims, to the OBC category. Additionally, it revoked all OBC certificates issued in Bengal after 2010. The Bengal government filed a petition against the high court ruling, leading Chief Justice DY Chandrachud to issue a notice in response today. The court requested the state to furnish information about the survey conducted to evaluate the social and educational backwardness of the 77 communities before their inclusion in the OBC list.

It also sought details on whether any consultation took place with the State Backward Commission regarding this matter. Furthermore, the bench, including Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, asked for data concerning the purported under-representation of these communities in state government services. The court has given the state a week to submit an affidavit containing this information.