SC refuses the plea for conducting census on caste lines
The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to entertain a PIL by Pattali Makkal Katchi seeking a direction to the Centre to conduct census on caste lines saying these are policy matters and courts can neither interfere nor give any directions.
The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to entertain a PIL by Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) seeking a direction to the Centre to conduct census on caste lines saying these are policy matters and courts can neither interfere nor give any directions.
“How can we give such directions?” a Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and P Sathasivam, said when senior advocate Ravi Verma Kumar, appearing for PMK, said such a census was necessary for identification of Other Backward Classes (OBC).
He said the lists of OBC have not been renewed for the last 10 years and the party has given several representation to the government in this regard.
However, the Bench said these are policy matters and “courts can neither interfere nor give any directions”. In a lighter vein, the bench said PMK can try its luck when the next government is formed. “Wait for the new government. You may be in that,” the Bench said.
The PIL had said “In India, the caste system represents not only a social division but also a political and occupational division of society. Therefore, for planning and development, collection of details about each and every caste and tribe in the country is a must.”