Consider caste-based Census: HC to Centre
January 23, 2010: The Indian Express
In a directive that could have far-reaching impact on the tricky subject of reservation and planning for the backward classes in the country, the First Bench of the Madras High Court has asked the Centre to ‘seriously consider’ enumerating caste-wise details while undertaking the 2011 Census.
Though a Division Bench of the High Court had directed the Centre to undertake a caste-wise census to ‘achieve the goal of social justice in its true sense’ in 2008, no further steps were taken in this regard, said a writ petition filed by the Advocates Forum for Social Justice, adding that its president advocate K Balu’s representation sent last year also did not evoke any response from the authorities.
Ruling on the petition on Thursday, the Bench comprising Chief Justice H L Gokhale and K K Sasidharan asked the Union Home Secretary, Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Government of India, to consider the representation, giving it eight weeks to respond.
¶When the Bench sought details about the steps taken on the earlier directive, the Regional Census Director said the ministries of social justice and home affairs had taken up the matter. The court has directed the authorities to consider the representation and respond within eight weeks,¶ said Balu, who is also legal wing in-charge of the Pattali Makkal Katchi, one of the active campaigners for including further details of OBC persons, a practise that was last done during the 1931 Census.
According to the petitioner, enumerating caste, education and occupational details of each person was possible during the door-to-door Census drive, which could be then used to compare the present status of each and every caste as opposed to the state average to decide whether a particular caste is truly ‘backward’.
Comprehensive data about every caste that forms a part of the backward class list was necessary lest it was impossible to delete any caste from the list. Also, to proportionally represent each caste in the state services as envisaged by Article 16 (4) of the Constitution, collection of caste particulars in the Census was an essential requirement, added the petition.
Over the past many years, the demand for a caste-wise Census has found support from many quarters, ranging from late Prime Minister V P Singh to the present Law Minister Veerappa Moily, all of whom agree that it is essential to have a more precise data to target welfare schemes for the truly backward.
However, right from the first Indian home minister Sardar Patel, there have been many staunch opponents for such an exercise, maintaining that it is inimical for the dream of a casteless society.
