In a major setback to the outgoing Akhilesh Yadav government in the state, the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday stayed its proposal to include 17 sub-castes in the Scheduled Castes (SC) category.

A bench of Chief Justice D.B. Bhonsle and Justice Yashwant Verma, while staying the decision, issued the directives to the Principal Secretary of Social Welfare to ensure that a circular was issued to all District Magistrates (DMs) not to issue any such certificates.

The court also ruled that these sub-castes -- Kahaar, Kumhaar, Gond, Manjhi, Prajapati, Rajbhar and others -- are not entitled to the SC certification.

The decision was challenged by a Gorakhpur-based organisation, which had pleaded that only Parliament was empowered to enact any such law.