Court directs Govt to conduct caste-wise census

Madras High Court on Thursday issued a fresh direction to the Centre to conduct caste-wise census in the country.

Allowing a PIL by lawyer R. Krishnamoorthy, a Division Bench on Wednesday directed the Census Commissioner to take all steps to hold caste-wise enumeration.

The bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Elipe Dharma Rao and Justice T.S. Sivagnanam said the relief sought by the petitioner had already been answered in the affirmative by the court in an earlier verdict on a writ petition.

In its October 2009 judgement, the court had noted that after 1931 there had never been any caste-wise enumeration or tabulation.

“When there cannot be any dispute that there is an increase in the population of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Classes manifold after 1931, the percentage of reservation fixed on the basis of population in 1931 has to be proportionately increased by conducting caste-wise census,” it had then held.