A plea for a Caste Dropdown In Census 2027 has been disposed of by the Supreme Court, which left the OBC Federation of India free to take its demand to the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, disposed of a writ petition by the OBC Federation of India seeking a pre-loaded dropdown menu of recognised Other Backward Classes (OBC) castes in the digital tools being used for Census 2027. Without expressing any opinion on the merits, the Court called the issue essentially a policy matter and granted the petitioners liberty to approach the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, with the petition to be treated as a representation. [OBC Federation of India v. Union of India]
The matter was heard by a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and including Justice Joymalya Bagchi.
Background: caste returns to the Census
Census 2027 is the first census since 2011 and the first to be conducted digitally, with an option for households to enumerate themselves. On August 14, 2026, the Union Home Ministry notified the 40 questions for the population enumeration phase under the Census Act, 1948. Item 10, earlier limited to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe status, now covers caste, the first caste count across all groups since 1931.
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are recorded against the notified lists, while respondents from other communities describe their caste in an open text field. Enumeration in Ladakh and snow-bound areas ran in September 2026, and nationwide enumeration is due in February 2027, with March 1, 2027 as the reference date.
The open-field method has drawn criticism because the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC), 2011, which also used an open column, returned more than 46 lakh distinct caste names, and its caste data was never published. Earlier this month, on October 12, the same Bench asked the Union to place on record its procedure for recording caste in Census 2027 in a separate plea on verification of caste declarations.
The legal position
Article 342A, inserted by the Constitution (One Hundred and Second Amendment) Act, 2018, gave constitutional status to the identification of socially and educationally backward classes (SEBCs). The Constitution (One Hundred and Fifth Amendment) Act, 2021 later restored the power of the States to prepare their own SEBC lists. The petitioners relied on this separate constitutional category to argue that the census must provide for OBC identification.
What the petitioners argued
Counsel for the Federation sought a dropdown in the digital census, referring to the enumeration list published in September 2025. Counsel noted that the Court had earlier treated data in an SCBC report as doubtful, but said that was an entirely independent matter.
Chief Justice Surya Kant said the Central authorities, who were represented before the Court, should first look into the issue.
Counsel said the second stage of the exercise was about to begin and argued that Article 342A identifies SEBCs as a separate class, so a dropdown would be fair.
Justice Joymalya Bagchi responded that the manner of conducting a census is a policy decision of the census authority, with nothing constitutional about it, though counsel could argue that a relevant constitutional classification had not been addressed.
Counsel replied that there is a constitutional obligation now that SEBCs are a distinct category under Article 342A, adding that Rs 11,000 crore had been spent on the exercise and a dropdown would resolve the problem.
The order
Dictating the order, Chief Justice Surya Kant recorded the petitioners’ claim that under the August 14, 2026 schedule, column 10 provides for notified SC and ST categories, while all others must describe their caste in an open text field.
The Court also recorded the petitioners’ concern that an open field would repeat the failure of the SECC, 2011, and their request for a dropdown to select caste.
Holding that the question was essentially one for policymakers, the Bench, without expressing any opinion on the merits, granted the petitioners liberty to approach the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India with a copy of the petition.
The Chief Justice added that the petition may be forwarded as a representation, so that the authority can examine the issue raised.
The Union’s response to the dropdown request was not reported from the hearing. The question will now be examined by the census authority on the petitioners’ representation.
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Case Title: OBC Federation of India v. Union of India (descriptive; formal cause title and case number not reported)
Bench: Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi
Date of order: October 28, 2026
Result: Disposed of, with liberty to approach the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India
Appearances: Counsel for the OBC Federation of India (names not reported).