- By Soumyaroop Mukherjee
- Thu, 25 Sep 2025 05:18 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Karnataka Caste Survey: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday, September 25, refused to put a stay on the ongoing caste survey in the state. A Bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Joshi passed the interim order on a batch of petitions against conducting such a survey. The bench further clarified that participation in the survey must be voluntary and directed the government to make a public announcement of the same.
"If a participant declines to participate in the survey, the enumerator will take no further steps to persuade or cajole the participant to divulge any information," the Court said, quoted by Bar and Bench. All the details must remain confidential, with access solely relying with the Commission for Backward Classes.
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The order comes a day after the High Court heard several public interest litigations challenging the process of the survey. The petitioners include the Vokkaligara Sangha, the Akhila Karnataka Brahmana Mahasabha, and the Veerashaiva Lingayat Mahasabha, along with individuals.
Arguments presented on behalf of the state government by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi highlighted the fact that the petitioners did not challenge Article 342A(3) of the Constitution, nor sought a stay on Sections 9 and 11 relating to Backward Classes.
Singhvi further said, “The petitioners did not point out any mistakes in the survey, nor did they claim that the government lacked the authority to conduct it. They only questioned the manner of the survey, including allegations that religion was being recorded alongside caste and that no prior analysis was conducted before publishing the caste list.”
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The high court clarified its ruling that any lapses after the survey could be questioned. However, since the demonstrators had only made presumptuous claims that the process was flawed even before the process began, a stay order was unnecessary.
On behalf of the Central Government, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aravind Kamath pointed out that the Centre had initially proposed a caste census in 2017, which did not pass through. He also raised concerns over the survey’s utility and questioned the criteria used to identify and classify 1,561 castes, and asked how the government arrived at the final figures.
During the proceedings, the Karnataka High Court scrutinized the Backward Classes Commission, pointing out that the official survey handbook failed to clearly inform households that they had the right to opt out. The court also noted that enumerators were instructed to visit every home, implying compulsory participation.
In response, Professor Ravivarma Kumar, appearing on behalf of the Commission, stated that Column 10 of the handbook allows enumerators to record when respondents refuse to provide information. He emphasised that surveyors were told to document only what citizens voluntarily shared. He further explained that the Commission had conducted consultations, reviewed public submissions, and allocated Rs 20.31 crore toward survey preparation. An additional Rs 350 crore was set aside to pay survey personnel, each of whom receives Rs 100 per household surveyed.