Caste survey to gather data to frame welfare policies: Karnataka govt before HC

The Karnataka government on Tuesday maintained before the high court that the socio-economic and educational survey would gather statistical data to formulate welfare policies.

“We have caste in this country which form classes we cannot ignore by living in an igloo or ivory towers,” senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said appearing for the government. He insisted that there was no way the government could come up with a rational policy without the support of data. He rejected the charges that the government would mine the data.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Joshi resumed hearing on a batch of writ petitions challenging the survey that began on Monday and on requests for an interim stay.

Senior advocate Ashok Haranahalli questioned the need for a separate survey now when the Government of India had already notified the date for census. The State was now conducting a fresh survey without taking a decision on the previous survey for which it spent Rs 100 crore and now another Rs 420 crore was being spent on another survey.

The backward classes commission had now notified 1561 castes in an arbitrary manner and the ongoing enumeration had not been backed by any study.

Senior advocate Vivek Subba Reddy said in the new list, sub-sects are made into castes, and the main castes are made into sub-castes resulting in unscientific grouping of communities.

Senior advocate Sriranga said 67 new castes were included in the Brahmin community wondering where the new ones came from. The government wants to complete the survey in a great hurry during the Dasara vacation when most people are on a vacation.

The court will continue the hearing on Wednesday as the caste census battle has now shifted to the high court with the organisations representing the Lingayats, Vokkaligas and Brahmins, among others, pushing for a stay of the ongoing enumeration.