Karnataka caste survey: HC declines to stay; says it should be voluntary
The survey by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, which began on Monday, will continue till October 7
The Karnataka High Court on Thursday (September 25) refused to hear pleas to interfere with the state government’s socio-economic survey, popularly known as caste survey.
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The court, however, told the authorities not to disclose the data collected, and also said that for the survey, sharing the information is voluntary.
What court said
According to a report in LiveLaw, a Division Bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Joshi stated: “In view of the above, we do not find to interdict the ongoing survey. However, we state that data collected shall not be disclosed to any person. Commission shall ensure that data is fully protected and kept confidential. We further direct the Commission to issue a public notification that clarifying in this survey is voluntary and no person is obligated to disclose any information and info disclosed is voluntary. This information would be necessarily have to be informed at threshold stage by enumerators.”
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“If a participant declines to participate, enumerators will not take any further steps to persuade or cajole participants to divulge any information. Commission shall file an affidavit within 1 working days clearly disclosing steps taken for confidentiality of data collected and stored,” it said.
Survey till October 7
The survey by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, which began on Monday, will continue till October 7.
The survey will see as many as 1.75 lakh enumerators, mostly government school teachers, covering around 7 crore people in approximately 2 crore households across the state.
The survey at an estimated cost of Rs 420 crore, is being conducted "scientifically," with a 60-question questionnaire prepared for the exercise, according to officials. The commission is expected to submit its report to the government by December.
According to officials, each household will be geo-tagged using its electricity meter number and will be assigned a Unique Household ID (UHID).
During the data collection process, ration cards and Aadhaar details will be linked to mobile numbers. For those who are not at home during the survey and to address grievances, if any, a dedicated helpline number (8050770004) has been set up. Citizens can also participate online, they added.