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Caste censuses are essential for addressing socioeconomic inequalities and informing policymaking

The Supreme Court on October 6, issued notice to the Bihar Government on the plea challenging a caste-based survey in the state and refused to stay

The release of the caste-based socio-economic survey by the Bihar government has become a major political issue in India. The survey revealed that Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Extremely Backward Castes (EBC) account for 63% of the state's population. This is the first time any state has released caste-based population data. The issue has gained attention from top leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi. The caste census is seen as a potential weapon for opposition parties and a weak spot for the ruling BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The appellants have challenged the Patna High Court ruling, saying the survey is clearly in violation of the SC nine-judge bench’s verdict in the 2017 K S Puttaswamy vs Union of India privacy case.

The Supreme Court of India has said that it will take up for hearing on October 6 the matter of the caste census in Bihar after the petitioner's lawyer mentioned before the apex court that the Bihar Government had published caste survey data. Bihar Caste Survey: Supreme Court To Hear Pleas Challenging Caste-Based Census on October 6.