In a significant development, the Karnataka High Court has issued notices to both the State and Central governments concerning Public Interest Litigations (PILs) that contest the legality of the proposed Socio-Economic and Educational Survey. This survey is slated to commence on September 22.
On September 19, a division bench, presided over by Justice Anu Sivaraman and Justice Rajesh Rai K., passed this order in response to petitions filed by various entities, including the Rajya Vokkaliga Sangha, Akhila Karnataka Brahmana Maha Sabha, and advocate K.N. Subba Reddy, among others.
The court announced that all related petitions would be heard further on September 22, specifically to consider the petitioners’ request for an interim stay on the survey. Additionally, a notice has been directed to the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
The primary argument put forth by the petitioners is that the proposed exercise is essentially a ‘caste census.’ They contend that conducting such a census falls exclusively under the purview of the Union Government, as mandated by the Constitution of India. Therefore, they assert that the State government lacks the legislative or executive authority to undertake such an initiative.
Concerns were also raised regarding the methodology and feasibility of the current survey, drawing parallels to a contentious 2015 survey. Petitioners highlighted that the previous attempt was plagued by numerous irregularities, including missing records, the refusal of the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes’ member-secretary to endorse it, and the ultimate suppression of its findings.
“The current survey aims to enumerate nearly seven crore individuals within an ambitious 15-day timeframe,” the petition noted, criticizing this as an “arbitrary and unscientific timeline” that starkly contrasts with the multi-month duration typically required for a Union census. Furthermore, it was argued that the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes lacks the statutory power under the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1995, to conduct such an extensive survey.