Bihar caste survey helped in framing better policies for disadvantaged groups: Government to Supreme Court

The State of Bihar has defended its executive decision of conducting a caste-based census before the Supreme Court, saying that it was carried out under the constitutional mandates and aimed at creating better government policies for disadvantaged groups, based on their socio-economic data.

Filing a detailed affidavit before the Apex Court, the JDU-BJP alliance government said that it has now taken steps to achieve the same on the basis of the survey report.

Giving an overview of the steps taken in pursuance of the findings of the survey report, including quota benefits, housing scheme, employment generation support, small entrepreneur scheme, and educational support, the Bihar government said that a copy of the report on data released under the caste-based survey has already been sent to all the departments of the state government for framing plans and making schemes for the welfare of people of the state.

Different departments were working to provide the required welfare benefits to the people of Bihar, it added.

The affidavit was filed in response to a batch of petitions challenging the Patna High Court order that upheld the state government’s decision to undertake the caste-based survey.

The second phase of the survey started on April 15, wherein information was collected about the caste of people and their socio-economic conditions. The entire exercise was scheduled to end by May this year.

However on May 4, the High Court of Patna ordered an immediate stay on the second phase of caste census till July 3. The Bench of Chief Justice K. Vinod Chandran and Justice Madhuresh Prasad directed that the data collected so far be preserved.

On August 1, the Division Bench of Chief Justice K. Vinod Chandran and Justice Partha Sarthy of the High Court upheld the survey, calling it ‘perfectly valid and initiated with due competence’.

The petitioners, including one Akhilesh Kumar from Nalanda, then moved the Apex Court against the High Court verdict, which refused to pass any orders in the absence of a prima facie case