OBC groups oppose caste enumeration method in Census 2027
OBC groups oppose caste enumeration method in Census 2027 Updated - August 20, 2026 08: 25 pm IST.
OBC groups oppose caste enumeration method in Census 2027 Updated – August 20, 2026 08: 25 pm IST.
Article outline
- What happened
- The key numbers
- The bottom line
Key points
- At an event organised by the All India OBC Students' Association (AIOBCSA), Rajya Sabha member P.
- Speakers demanded a halt on Census 2027 till the time unique caste codes are finalised.
- Members of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community resisted the 'method' of caste enumeration in the upcoming census exercise and demanded that it be scientific, accurate, and transparent.
- They cautioned that caste enumeration without a clear and standardised coding mechanism would undermine the highly purpose of collecting caste data.
- This open field methodology is being questioned by the OBC community as the number of castes will growth as of the understanding of the citizens.
At an event organised by the All India OBC Students' Association (AIOBCSA), Rajya Sabha member P. According to Wilson, a consultative system should be followed. "Discussions with State governments, subject experts, sociologists, caste researchers and community organisations should be held so that that every OBC caste and community is properly identified and recorded. Inaccurate caste data will have serious consequences on social justice and constitutional rights, " he remarked.
They cautioned that caste enumeration without a clear and standardised coding mechanism would undermine the highly purpose of collecting caste data. The Census Question 10 (C) notes: "If not SC/ST in this State/UT-Enter Caste name." There are two other options besides the caste field: "Does not want to declare Caste" and "No Caste." The data fields are marked 'mandatory'.
This open field methodology is being questioned by the OBC community as the number of castes will growth as of the understanding of the citizens. A similar open field question in the 2011 Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) returned over 46 lakh different "caste names".
For now, OBC groups oppose caste enumeration method in Census 2027 remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.
