Nothing wrong in holding caste census, any govt of the day should know who is backward, SC says

📌 Summary:

• The Supreme Court said there is nothing wrong in the government of the day ascertaining caste as part of the nationwide Census exercise

• Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, heading a three-judge Bench, observed: "Any government of the day must know how many people are backward and how many need welfare. This is a matter of policy"

• The Bench dismissed a PIL filed by petitioner-in-person Sudhakar Gummula seeking to keep caste enumeration out of Census 2027

• The petitioner argued there are "endless possibilities" of politicians and corporate entities misusing caste data, and that there is no justification for gathering such a large tract of caste data

• The Court held that whether caste enumeration should be part of Census 2027 lies "exclusively within the policy domain" and is not for the judiciary to decide

• The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs decided in April 2024 to include caste enumeration in Census 2027

• Until the 2011 Census only Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were systematically enumerated; the last comprehensive nationwide caste census was in 1931 (colonial India)

• Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases: Phase 1, House Listing Operation (housing, assets, amenities); Phase 2, Population Enumeration (demographic, socio-economic, cultural details), which will record caste

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS1 (Indian Society — caste) and GS2 (Governance and Social Justice) — caste data for welfare targeting and the separation of the policy domain from the judicial domain.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• The last comprehensive nationwide caste census in India was conducted in 1931

• Caste enumeration in Census 2027 will be done in Phase 2 (Population Enumeration)

• The decision to include a caste count was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (April 2024)

• The Census is conducted under the Census Act, 1948; the three-judge Bench was headed by CJI Surya Kant

🔑 Key Term: Caste enumeration — the systematic recording of every individual's caste during the Census, as distinct from the limited Scheduled Caste / Scheduled Tribe count conducted since independence.