The Karnataka High Court has announced it will hear arguments on September 23 concerning whether to halt the ongoing Socio-Economic and Educational Survey being conducted by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes.
During the initial hearing of petitions challenging the survey’s legality on September 22, a division bench, including Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Joshi, first suggested addressing the petitions after the court’s Dasara vacation.
However, lawyers representing the petitioners highlighted a critical issue: they are not just questioning the State Government or the Commission’s power to undertake such an exercise. More fundamentally, they are challenging the state authorities’ very right to collect data that involves geo-tagging residents and linking it with their Aadhaar information. This, they argue, constitutes a violation of privacy rights and contradicts specific provisions of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016.
Senior Advocate Prabhuling K. Navadgi, representing several petitioners, informed the court that the data collection process is set to conclude by October 6, before the courts resume from their Dasara break.
In response, the bench inquired whether the government could postpone data collection until a final decision on the petitions is reached after the vacation.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the State Government, stated that the current exercise is merely an update of data gathered during a previous survey, which was not subject to a court stay. He added that if the court ultimately strikes down the survey, the collected data could be reversed.
The bench, however, questioned the feasibility of reversing data collection, subsequently deciding to hear arguments on the plea for an interim stay on the data collection process during the afternoon session on September 23.
The petitions were collectively filed by various influential groups and individuals, including the Rajya Vokkaliga Sangha, Akhila Karnataka Brahmana Mahasabha, Uday Shankar B.R. and eight other members of the Akhila Karnataka Veerashaiva-Lingyata Mahasabha of Karnataka, advocate K.N. Subba Reddy, and three other members from the Vokkaliga community, among others.