Supreme Court Refuses to Interfere in High Court’s Decision on Caste Enumeration; Detailed Hearing to be Held on 14th

New Delhi: In a significant development, the Supreme Court of India declined to intervene in the ongoing caste enumeration process in Bihar, deferring the decision to a detailed hearing scheduled for August 14. The Patna High Court’s decision to continue the enumeration survey was upheld, with the apex court refraining from issuing any immediate orders or notices.

A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SV Bhatti presided over the proceedings. The court’s stance was made clear in response to a request from an advocate representing one of the petitioners to maintain the status quo until the next hearing. Justice Khanna stated,

We are not passing any order maintaining status quo, not even issuing notice to the respondent (Government of Bihar). We haven’t heard you yet.

– Justice Khanna

It was revealed during the proceedings that approximately 80% of the caste enumeration survey in Bihar had been completed in accordance with the decision of the High Court. The completion of field survey work was announced, and it was disclosed that the remaining 50% of data entry was pending in various districts.

Bihar’s Secretary, Amir Subhani, engaged in a video conference with District Magistrates from all districts, discussing the progress and implementation of the caste-based enumeration process. The survey has been a subject of significant public interest and has attracted attention from various quarters.

In response to the Supreme Court’s stance and the continuation of the caste enumeration, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) took to the social media platform Twitter to express its views. The RJD criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), suggesting that attempts to hinder the caste enumeration process would be unsuccessful.

The tweet questioned the BJP’s alleged attitude towards backward and marginalized communities and speculated on the reasons behind any purported hostility towards Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

As the nation awaits the detailed hearing on August 14, the issue of caste enumeration in Bihar remains a focal point of discussion and debate, with political and societal implications that continue to resonate across the country.