SC dismisses plea against Caste census, pulls up petitioner over language

The Supreme Court of India on Friday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking to halt the proposed caste Census , while sharply criticising the petitioner for using “indecent” language in the plea.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, expressed strong displeasure during the hearing. The petitioner, who appeared in person, was questioned over the tone and wording of the submission. The Chief Justice remarked that the language used was improper and unacceptable , stressing the need for decorum in court filings .

The bench went on to dismiss the plea , which not only challenged the inclusion of caste enumeration in the upcoming Census but also sought directions to the Centre to frame policies incentivising single-child families .

Notably, the exact contents of the objectionable language in the petition have not been publicly disclosed. However, the Court indicated that the issue lay not just in the subject matter but also in the manner in which the plea was drafted .

This decision is consistent with the Court’s earlier position. On February 2 , it had refused to entertain a similar PIL questioning the methodology for collecting and verifying caste data for the Census, signalling continued judicial restraint in policy matters.

The Court also declined to examine the demand for single-child policy incentives , noting that such socio-economic decisions fall within the executive’s domain and are not ordinarily subject to judicial direction.

The 2027 Census , India’s 16th national census , will be the first to include comprehensive caste enumeration since 1931 and is set to be the country’s first fully digital census , aimed at strengthening data-driven governance.