Explained: Why Rahul, Kharge want Census 2027 questionnaire scrapped and why question on caste is controversial
Ahead of Census 2027, concerns have been raised about the design of the caste enumeration question (Question 10 in the household schedule), which is structured as an open-ended field rather than a pre-populated, structured list of castes.
Objections centre on the risk that an open-ended format could lead to the same caste being recorded under multiple spellings or names by different enumerators, fragmenting a single caste's count across thousands of variant entries and undermining data quality.
Comparisons have been drawn with the caste enumeration exercises conducted by Telangana (2024) and Bihar (2022), both of which used a pre-prepared, state-specific list of castes with a structured two-step entry process — enumerators first recorded the broad category (SC/ST/OBC/Others) and then selected the specific caste/sub-caste from a dropdown list, rather than free text.
Suggestions have been made that the Census 2027 questionnaire should adopt a similar structured, list-based approach for the caste question to ensure standardised, comparable data across states.
Census Act, 1948 — Legal Basis for the Census of India
The Census of India is conducted under the Census Act, 1948, which gives the Central Government exclusive authority to conduct the census and to prescribe, by notification, the particulars to be collected (including new fields, such as caste). The Act was last substantively amended in 1994. Census 2027 will be the first Census conducted under this Act to enumerate caste data for the general population, not just Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).
Key Details
- Census Act, 1948 empowers the Centre to appoint a Census Commissioner and Directors of Census Operations in each state/UT and to notify the schedule of questions.
- Refusal to answer, or knowingly giving false answers, to Census questions is a punishable offence under the Act.
- Individual-level Census data is confidential under Section 15 of the Act and cannot be used as evidence in any legal proceeding, including courts of law.
- Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases: House-listing and Housing Census (April–September 2026) followed by Population Enumeration (from February 2027), with a reference date of March 1, 2027 for most of the country (October 1, 2026 for snow-bound areas such as Ladakh). It will also be India's first digital/self-enumeration Census.
Because the caste question is being added through the standard Census Act notification process (not special legislation), its exact wording and format are an executive/administrative design choice — which is the crux of the current debate over open-ended versus structured-list entry.
History of Caste Enumeration in the Census — 1931 to SECC 2011
Caste data for all communities was last comprehensively collected in the 1931 Census, which recorded 4,147 distinct castes. After 1951, caste enumeration was discontinued for all communities except SCs and STs, which continue to be enumerated in every Census as they are constitutionally recognised categories under Articles 341 and 342.
Key Details
- The Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 was a separate exercise, not conducted under the Census Act, 1948 (since the Act was not amended to include caste as a mandatory parameter), making caste disclosure voluntary rather than mandatory.
- SECC 2011's caste data was widely regarded as unreliable — it recorded an implausible figure of roughly 46 lakh (4.6 million) distinct caste/sub-caste names, largely due to open-ended, non-standardised data entry — and its caste findings were never officially released or used for policy.
- The Union Cabinet approved the inclusion of caste enumeration in the main Census for the first time since Independence in April 2025, and subsequently approved the ₹11,718 crore Census 2027 scheme (including digital enumeration tools) in December 2025.
SECC 2011's open-ended caste entry is the direct precedent critics cite as a cautionary tale — the same methodological flaw (free-text caste entry producing tens of lakhs of variant names) is the concern being raised about the Census 2027 questionnaire's Question 10.
State Caste Surveys as Alternative Models — Bihar (2022) and Telangana (2024)
Several states have conducted their own caste-based surveys under state executive powers (distinct from the Union Census), using structured methodologies intended to avoid SECC 2011's data-quality problems.
Key Details
- The 2022 Bihar Caste-Based Survey was conducted under the state's general administrative powers (not the Census Act) and used a pre-defined list of castes for enumerators to select from, rather than open-ended entry.
- The 2024 Telangana Social, Economic, Educational, Employment, Political and Caste Survey similarly used a structured, two-step caste-selection process (broad category, then specific caste from a list).
- Caste-based data collected by states operates in a different legal space from the Union Census — states can conduct such surveys under their general executive power (Article 162), while a nationwide, legally mandatory caste count requires the Census Act framework administered by the Union under Entry 69 of the Union List (Seventh Schedule).
The state-list-based methodology used in Bihar and Telangana is being cited as the preferred design template for Question 10 in Census 2027, in place of the open-ended format currently proposed.
- Legal basis for the Census: Census Act, 1948 (last amended 1994); Entry 69, Union List, Seventh Schedule.
- Last full caste count of the general population: 1931 Census — 4,147 castes recorded.
- SECC 2011 (not conducted under the Census Act): recorded an implausible ~46 lakh distinct caste names due to open-ended entry; caste data never officially released.
- Cabinet decision to include caste enumeration in the main Census: April 2025; Census 2027 scheme (₹11,718 crore) approved: December 2025.
- Census 2027 phases: House-listing/Housing Census (April–September 2026); Population Enumeration (from February 2027); reference date March 1, 2027 (October 1, 2026 for Ladakh/snow-bound areas).
- Question under debate: Question 10 of the Census 2027 household schedule (caste entry field).