2011 CASTE CENSUS DATA UNUSABLE: CENTRE TO SC

NEW DELHI: The caste census conducted in 2011 is “unusable” for any official purpose on account of grave “inaccuracies” in its data, the Union government has told the Supreme Court, while adding it is also against collecting any information on castes or backward classes, other than Scheduled Castes (SCS) and Scheduled Tribes (STS), during the upcoming population census in 2022.

Submitting its affidavit in the court, the Centre opposed the Maharashtra government’s plea to make the 2011 caste census public, underlining that the data is “fraught with mistakes and inaccuracies”, and has been hence kept under wraps. “Either due to the mistakes by the enumerators, inherent flaws in the manner of conducting census, and several such other factors, there is no reliable dependable caste-based census data available which can be the basis of any constitutional or statutory exercise like reservations in admissions, promotions or local body elections,” stated the affidavit filed before a bench headed by justice AM Khanwilkar.

Refusing to collect data on backward class of citizens (BCCS) during the upcoming census, the Centre maintained this exercise is administratively complex, and against the policy decision of the government.

It added that unlike the constitutional mandate for collection of census data on SCS and STS, there is no obligation to provide the census figures of OBCS/BCCS.

The census data on SCS and STS are used for delimitation of electoral constituencies as well as for reservation of seats, as mandated under the Constitution. The case came up before the bench, which also included justices Dinesh Maheshwari and CT Ravikumar, on Thursday. It was adjourned for four weeks after the Maharashtra government sought time to reply to the Centre’s submissions.

The 2011 caste census, collected during the UPA government, was the first castebased census since the 1931 census of India. The first census was conducted in 1881, and since then, has been held every 10 years.