Supreme Court refuses to entertain plea against caste census, criticises petitioner for poor language

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday came down heavily upon a petitioner for the language used in his plea seeking a direction to the Central government to stop the caste census.

While refusing to entertain the matter, a bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi expressed displeasure over the language used by the petitioner in the plea.

"You have used indecent language in your petition. Who has drafted your petition,” the bench asked the petitioner, who was appearing in person.

“From where did you write such language in your petition,” the CJI further asked him in Hindi.

The court finally dismissed the plea, which also sought a direction to the Centre to formulate policies to provide economic incentives to families with a single child.

The court in February refused to entertain a separate PIL questioning the procedure to be adopted to record, classify and verify the caste data of citizens in the 2027 general Census.

"The census exercise is regulated under the Census Act, 1958 and the 1990 Rules framed thereunder which empowers the respondent authorities to determine the particular and manners of census operations," the bench had then said.

The 2027 Census, officially the 16th national census, will be the first to include comprehensive caste enumeration since 1931 and the country’s first fully digital census.