The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday refused to entertain a public interest petition challenging the Centre’s decision to include caste enumeration in the upcoming national Census, observing that the government requires accurate data on backward communities to formulate welfare policies.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi dismissed the plea, stating that decisions regarding the nature and scope of the Census fall squarely within the executive’s policy-making powers.

“The government must know how many people are there in backward castes for welfare measures,” the Bench observed while declining to interfere with the Centre’s move.

During the hearing, the petitioner, who appeared in person, argued that the collection of caste-related information could potentially be misused if accessed by political groups or corporate entities. He questioned the necessity of gathering caste data and raised concerns over privacy and possible exploitation of such information.

Responding to the objections, the court said issues related to whether the Census should include caste details are matters of governance and public policy, not subjects for judicial intervention.

“These are all policy matters, whether census should be caste-based or not. What is wrong with it? Any day’s government must know how many people are backward class, what kind of welfare measures are to be taken for them. It is within the policy domain,” the Chief Justice remarked during the proceedings.

The ruling comes amid ongoing political debate over caste-based data collection, with several parties advocating for updated caste figures to guide reservation policies and targeted welfare schemes. The Centre’s decision to include caste enumeration in the Census has triggered discussions nationwide over its social, political and administrative implications.

By dismissing the PIL, the apex court has effectively cleared the way for the government to proceed with its proposed caste data collection exercise as part of the upcoming Census process.