Form used in rehearsal for second phase of Census has an ‘open column’ to record caste
The second phase of the Census 2027 rehearsal exercise used a form with an "open column" approach to record caste — meaning enumerators write down caste names exactly as respondents state them, without a pre-defined list.
The final methodology for caste enumeration in Census 2027 will be determined based on feedback gathered from this test exercise.
An open-column approach was previously used in the 2011 Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC), which returned over 46 lakh (4.6 million) distinct "caste names" — highlighting the complexity and data-quality challenges of open enumeration.
Census 2027 will be India's first census to include comprehensive caste enumeration since 1931, when caste data (other than SC/ST) was last recorded in an official census.
The two-phase Census 2027 structure: Phase I (Houselisting and Housing Census) runs April–September 2026; Phase II (Population Enumeration) is scheduled for February 2027.
Constitutional Provisions Governing the Census
The population census is a Union subject under Entry 69 of List I (Union List) in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India. Article 246 of the Constitution grants Parliament exclusive power to legislate on matters enumerated in the Union List. Accordingly, only Parliament can make laws relating to the census, and states have no independent legislative authority over it. The statutory basis for conducting the census is the Census Act, 1948.
Key Details
- Entry 69, Union List (List I), Seventh Schedule: "Census."
- Article 246: Parliament has exclusive legislative power over Union List subjects.
- Census Act, 1948: the enabling legislation for conducting the census.
- The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (under the Ministry of Home Affairs) administers the census.
- Census 2027 will be India's first fully digital census, using mobile-based data collection and the Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) portal.
Because the census is an exclusive Union subject, the design of the caste enumeration methodology — including the open-column vs. coded-list debate — is entirely a Central Government decision, without state governments having any formal legislative say.
Caste Enumeration: Historical Context and Policy Significance
India's censuses recorded caste data until 1931. From 1941 onward, only Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were enumerated, not "Other Backward Classes" or the broader caste hierarchy. The demand for a comprehensive caste census has been politically significant for decades, linked to debates over reservations, OBC policy, and social justice. The 2011 Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) was conducted as a separate exercise — not as part of the decennial census — and its caste data faced severe quality issues: over 46 lakh distinct caste names were returned due to self-reporting inconsistencies, making the data largely unusable for policy purposes.
Key Details
- Last full caste census: 1931.
- 2011 SECC: a parallel exercise (not part of the decennial census); caste data from it was not officially released due to quality concerns; it returned over 46 lakh distinct caste names.
- OBC reservation (central): 27%, based on the Mandal Commission report (1980), implemented from 1992 following the Supreme Court's Indra Sawhney v. Union of India judgment.
- Article 340: empowers the President to appoint a Commission to investigate the conditions of socially and educationally backward classes.
- The absence of reliable OBC data from official censuses is a key policy gap that the 2027 census aims to address.
The rehearsal's open-column finding — echoing the 2011 SECC's 46 lakh caste-name problem — illustrates why the methodology choice is critical; a coded or standardised list approach versus open enumeration will determine whether caste census data becomes actionable for reservation and welfare policy.
Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 vs. Decennial Census
The SECC 2011 was a separate government survey (not part of the decennial census) conducted by the Ministry of Rural Development to identify beneficiaries for social schemes. It captured household socio-economic status and self-reported caste names. Its data on castes (other than SC/ST) was never officially published, primarily due to the proliferation of caste names (over 46 lakh) that made standardisation impossible.
Key Details
- Conducted by: Ministry of Rural Development (SECC 2011).
- SECC 2011 was not a census under the Census Act, 1948 — it had no legal obligation on respondents.
- Decennial census is conducted under the Census Act, 1948 and has mandatory response provisions.
- Census 2027 will, for the first time, integrate caste enumeration within the statutory decennial census framework.
The current rehearsal is part of the formal Census 2027 process — unlike SECC 2011 — which means its methodology will determine data collected under the Census Act's legal framework, with greater reliability expectations.
- Census 2027: first decennial census with comprehensive caste enumeration since 1931.
- Open-column approach in SECC 2011 produced over 46 lakh (4.6 million) distinct caste names.
- Entry 69, Union List, Seventh Schedule: constitutional basis for census as a Union subject.
- Article 246: Parliament's exclusive legislative power over Union List subjects.
- Census Act, 1948: governing statute for the census.
- Phase I of Census 2027: April–September 2026 (Houselisting and Housing Census).
- Phase II: February 2027 (Population Enumeration, including caste column).
- Census 2027 rehearsal: conducted in November 2025 across 5,000 blocks in all States/UTs.
- OBC central reservation: 27% (post-Indra Sawhney, 1992).
- Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India: nodal authority under Ministry of Home Affairs.