SC notice to Centre on plea for caste census in 2021

The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to Union government, National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) and others, on a PIL for conducting a caste-wise census in 2021 for taking welfare measures and reservation as per their numbers.

A three-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice S A Bobde sought a response from the Centre and others on a petition filed by G Mallesh Yadav, a social activist and chairman of Telangana State Backward Classes Front.

The court tagged the new petition with a similar petition already admitted for consideration by it earlier.

Read: Maharashtra: Union minister Athawale calls for caste-based census

The petitioner represented by advocate G S Mani sought a direction to conduct caste-wise census for Backward Classes in 2021 census, saying in the absence of their real numbers, the state governments were facing difficulty in implementing welfare measures for them.

Without caste numbers, adequate reservation could not be provided to backward classes in jobs, legislature and local bodies, the plea claimed.

The Mandal Commission set up in 1979-80 enumerated 3743 castes in backward classes and their number was raised to 5013 in central list of OBCs in 2006, it pointed out.