The Supreme Court of India has agreed to hear a plea challenging the caste-based census being conducted by the Bihar government on April 28.
The census can be conducted only by the Central government. Another petition seeking an immediate stay on census had already been dismissed by Supreme Court on January 21, 2023.
The Supreme Court had dismissed the petitions challenging the caste-based census being currently conducted in the State of Bihar in January 2023
The Bench of Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice Vikram Nath had disposed of the petitions that sought quashing of the June 6, 2022 notification issued by the Deputy Secretary of Bihar government in respect to conducting a caste-based survey in the state.
The Nitish Kumar-led government had kickstarted the caste-based Census on January 7 this year, saying it would provide scientific data for carrying out welfare schemes for weaker sections of the society.
The state government planned to compile data on each family digitally through a mobile application in the survey, from panchayat to the district level.
Suspecting the motivation of the petitioners, the Apex Court disposed of the pleas, terming them as publicity interest litigation.
It asked the petitioners that if the relief sought in the pleas was granted, how would the state government determine on how to grant reservation.
The top court of the country directed the counsels appearing for the petitioners to file an application before the High Court. The Bench dismissed all the petitions as withdrawn granting liberty to seek appropriate remedies in law.
One of the petitions filed by Nalanda resident Akhilesh Kumar said such exercise violated the basic structure of the Constitution.
The petition further sought directions to the authorities concerned to refrain from conducting the exercise, calling the same both discriminatory and unconstitutional.
As per the plea, the notification violated Article 14 of the Constitution, which provided for equality before law and equal protection of the law, adding that it was “illegal, arbitrary, irrational and unconstitutional”.
The PIL pointed out that if the proclaimed purpose of the caste-based survey was to accommodate the people of state suffering from caste persecution, the distinction on the basis of caste and country of origin was both irrational and unjustified.
It added that none of these distinctions corresponded with the ostensible purpose of the law.
The petition raised six important points, which are:
– Whether the Constitution of India gave a State Government the right to conduct caste census?
– Was the notification issued by the Deputy Secretary of Bihar Government on June 6, 2022 against the Census Act 1948?
– Did the Constitution legally permit a state government to issue notification of caste census, in the absence of law?
– Whether the decision to conduct caste-based census was taken unanimously by all political parties of Bihar?
– Was the decision of political parties for Bihar to conduct caste census binding on the government?
– Whether the June 6 notification of Bihar government was against the verdict delivered by the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court on January 2, 2017 in the Abhiram Singh vs C.D. Commachen case.