Supreme Court grants OBC Federation liberty to petition for Census 2027 drop-down menu
GS2Polity · Governance · IR· Vulnerable sections (SC/ST, minorities, disabled, elderly, children)· Prelims + Mains·
Data accuracy in caste enumeration: a GS2 Social Justice and Governance case study.
Why in news
The Supreme Court granted the OBC Federation of India liberty to petition the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India for a pre-loaded drop-down menu of recognized OBCs in Census 2027.
Background
The OBC Federation of India requested a drop-down menu to prevent inaccuracies seen in the 2011 Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC). The Census 2027 has a budget of over ₹11,000 crore and requires caste details in Column 10 of the population enumeration schedule.
Facts for Prelims
- BodyRGCCI: Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India
- FactCensus 2027 budget: Over ₹11,000 crore
- FactSECC: Socio-Economic and Caste Census conducted in 2011
- ConstitutionArticle 342A: Relates to the recognition of Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs)
- FactColumn 10 of the population enumeration schedule requires caste details
Prelims practice question
Which column of the population enumeration schedule requires caste details in the Census 2027?
- (a)Column 15
- (b)Column 10
- (c)Column 12
- (d)Column 5
Show answer
Answer: (b) Column 10 — The note specifies that caste details are required in Column 10 of the population enumeration schedule.
For Mains
Q. Discuss the importance of accurate caste enumeration in the Census for effective policy formulation and the distribution of social justice benefits.
Dimensions to cover in your answer
- Data integrity: Open-ended text fields in digital tools risk inconsistent data entry and enumeration errors
- Policy vs. Judiciary: The court's observation that granular census operations are a matter of policy-making rather than constitutional classification
Keywords: Caste Census · Data Accuracy · Social Justice · Policy Formulation · OBC Federation
More Social Justice notes
- Union Cabinet approves ₹7,395.55-crore PM-VGSY scheme to train 32 lakh representatives · 28 October 2026
- Pralhad Joshi slams "marks wadi" education system at new CBSE Experience Centre · 28 October 2026
- Supreme Court questions NPPA after only ₹1,582.4 crore recovered from overcharging companies · 27 October 2026
- Kerala government considers ‘Academic Election Commission’ to reform student union elections · 27 October 2026
- Karnataka to establish first Tribal University on 120 acres in Challakere taluk · 27 October 2026
- Assam approves 12% horizontal reservation for eligible ex-Agniveers in specific departments · 27 October 2026
Something wrong, or something missing?
Spotted a mistake in a note, or want a topic, format or PDF that would help your preparation? Write to us. We read every mail and fix errors fast.
This note is generated automatically from SatyaDheesh's news feed and mapped to the UPSC CSE syllabus. Check facts against the original report or PIB before using them in an answer.