‘What is wrong with it?’ SC dismisses PIL against caste census, says govt needs data for welfare

A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul Pancholi heard the matter, with the CJI remarking, as quoted by Live Law website, “What is wrong with it? Any day’s government must know how many people are in the backward class, and what kind of welfare measures are to be taken for them. It is within the policy domain.”

The Chief Justice further stated that whether the census should be caste-based or not is a matter of policy and that the government has the right to identify backward communities for welfare measures. The bench firmly held that courts cannot intervene in the matter. The PIL was filed by Sudhakar Gummula, who appeared in person before the court. He argued that the collection of caste data could be susceptible to misuse, particularly if such information fell into the hands of corporate entities and politicians. He further contended that the Centre already has adequate data, adding that there was no justification for collecting more. “There are endless possibilities of politicians and corporate entities misusing the caste data,” he argued.