SC declines plea for census on caste lines
April 10, 2009: The Indian Express
The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) by the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) seeking a direction to the Union Government to conduct the next census on caste lines.
Declining the plea, a Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice P Sathasivam said the courts could neither interfere nor give any directions on policy matters.
In its PIL, the PMK had said such a census was necessary for identification of Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
“In India, the caste system represents not only a social division but also a political and occupational division of society. Therefore, for planning and development, collection of details about each and every caste and tribe in the country is a must,¶ the PIL noted.
The party’s lawyer told the court the lists of OBCs had not been reviewed since 1993 and the party had given several representations to the Government in this regard.
“All the commissions appointed for the purpose of identifying the backward classes have experienced genuine difficulty for want of caste particulars in the census figures,¶ the petition added.
