Drop move to conduct caste census, NSS writes to Centre
As the Union government prepares to initiate India's first caste-based census, the Nair Service Society (NSS), has sent letters to the President, the Vice-President and the Prime Minister, urging them to withdraw from caste census and confine the census to gathering demographic data on the nation's population.
The letter, undersigned by NSS general secretary G. Sukumaran Nair, stated that caste-based census contradicts the principles of the Constitution and risks dividing people on the basis of castes and religion. It also draws parallels to the British colonial era, recalling the 1931 communal Census, which aimed to separate electorates by segregating the constituencies on the basis of religion.
'Therefore, the communal census would result in dividing the country on communal and religious line. Society will be fragmented on the basis of caste and religion which would invariably jeopardise the integrity and fraternity of the nation,' the letter said.
It further added that the imposition of caste and religious identities by the State through a caste census would relegate the citizenry to caste and religious afflictions sagging the profound status of nationality.
'The concept of equality enshrined in Article 14 guarantees protection against discrimination based on caste, religion, descent or place of birth which emphatically reiterated under Article 15 and 16 of the Constitution. An egalitarian society ensuring social and economic justice which is the prime concern of governance shall not be based on caste and religion. When the moto of the Constitution is to eradicate caste and religion, collection of date of caste and religion is plainly offending the guarantee of fundamental freedom which is the essence and the spirit of Constitution which stood the test of time,' it stated.
According to Mr. Nair, the collection of any other demographic information in relation to an individual would invade his personal autonomy of privacy. 'Hence the move to conduct caste census to elicit the caste and religion of citizens would infringe the right to privacy guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution,' he said.
The NSS is tightening its stance against caste census even as various other community and social organisations, including the SNDP and other backward castes, have expressed support for the project. Meanwhile, sources also hinted at the NSS exploring legal action if the government went ahead with caste census.
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