The Supreme Court of India has mentioned that it’ll take up for listening to on October 6 the matter of the caste census in Bihar after the petitioner’s lawyer talked about earlier than the apex court docket that the Bihar Government had revealed caste survey knowledge.
The matter was introduced earlier than a bench consisting of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti.
The petitioner’s lawyer apprised the court docket that the Bihar Government has already revealed the caste survey knowledge, prompting issues and authorized challenges from numerous quarters. Among the petitioners are organisations like Ek Soch Ek Prayas and Youth for Equality, who’ve contested the legality and authority of the caste-based survey.
The Union Government additionally entered the authorized fray, submitting an affidavit with the Supreme Court, emphasising that the Census Act, 1948, bestows unique authority upon the Union Government to conduct census-related actions.
The affidavit reaffirmed the Government’s dedication to uplift Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in step with constitutional provisions and relevant legal guidelines.
One of the petitions, represented by advocate Tanya Shree on behalf of petitioner Akhilesh Kumar, contested the Patna High Court’s dismissal of pleas difficult the Nitish Kumar authorities’s resolution to conduct the caste-based survey. The High Court’s order was issued on August 1.
The petitioner had argued that the State of Bihar lacked the constitutional competence to provoke a caste-based survey and usurped the unique authority of the Union Government in conducting a census.
The petitioner had highlighted that the Bihar Government’s notification dated June 6, 2022, and the subsequent appointment of a District Magistrate for supervision violate constitutional provisions, together with the distribution of powers between the State and the Union.
The petitioner contended that the whole train is with out legislative competence and is riddled with malafide intentions.
The petitioner underscored that solely the Union Government possesses the authority to conduct a census in India, rendering the Bihar State Government’s notification null and void.
The Patna High Court had beforehand dismissed comparable pleas contesting the caste-based survey ordered by the Nitish Kumar administration.
The survey goals to gather knowledge associated to folks of all castes, sub-castes, and socioeconomic circumstances, protecting an estimated inhabitants of 12.70 crores throughout 38 districts in Bihar.
(with inputs from ANI)
