While data can empower communities, it reinforces identities, making local politics more caste-centric, with decisions increasingly contested on the grounds of representation.
Such dynamics could lead to shifting alliances and, in the worst case, local governance getting paralysed as each group demands proportional power-sharing, explain Amitabh Kundu and Mehebub Rahaman.
Elections for municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Maharashtra are scheduled for December 2, according to the State Election Commissioner. The schedule for other local bodies will be announced later.
The Bihar assembly on Thursday approved a hike in quotas for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Extremely Backward Classes and Other Backward Classes from the existing 50 per cent to 65 per cent.
Gandhi expressed confidence that a vast majority of the INDIA parties will support and push for a caste census.
The Registrar General and Census Commissioner (RGCC) informed the Madras High Court on Saturday, that the issue of a caste-wise census had been taken up with the Centre.
Following the demolition of a house linked to an accused in the Uttam Nagar Holi clash, the victim's family is demanding a CBI probe and strict action against all those involved in the incident.
The government has no proposal at present to release the report of the caste census carried out in 2011, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has announced that his government will introduce a new stringent law to prevent religious conversion of tribal people, and possibly others. He also advocated for the delisting of tribals, removing them from the Scheduled Tribe category if they convert to another religion, saying it will prevent proselytisation.
'For the first time in this country, perhaps the first time anywhere, we are going to use backwardness index.' 'It is a fundamental shift in the discourse in the country's social justice.'
Sharma's letter comes at a time the Congress has intensified its demand for a nationwide caste census and promised to carry out the exercise if elected to power in the Lok Sabha elections.
'What has changed is that the new regulations are backed by a clear enforcement framework. They have real consequences and, for the first time, make compliance unavoidable.'
The Union Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, held a detailed discussion on the Supreme Court judgement on the sub-categorisation of reservation for SCs and STs as granted in the Constitution.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini held a meeting with top officials to address concerns related to the death of IPS officer Y Puran Kumar. The government is considering actions based on a complaint filed by Kumar's wife.
Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan reflects on his tenure as he prepares to move to Delhi as the next Vice President of India, calling it the happiest period in his public life.
An elderly Dalit man was allegedly forced to lick the ground near a temple on the outskirts of Lucknow after being accused of urinating there. The accused has been arrested, and the incident has sparked political outrage.
It noted that Article 15(5) of the Constitution does not empower the State to compel a minority educational institution to admit students from the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes or Backward Classes of citizens.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan questioned the attempts being made to implement the SIR in poll-bound Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal while the Constitutional validity of the Bihar SIR process is under consideration by the Supreme Court.
From demonetisation to sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes to bulldozers, Justice Gavai has been part of several judgments.
The bench in its order held that the scope of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities Act) cannot be limited to the state where a person is declared as a member of the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe community.
Chandigarh Police has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the suicide case of Haryana police officer Y Puran Kumar, ensuring a prompt and thorough investigation.
Justice Gavai, who wrote a 281-page separate but concurring verdict, said it is the duty of the State to give preferential treatment to the backward class of citizens who are not adequately represented in government jobs.
The Supreme Court on Thursday set aside caste-based discriminatory provisions of prison manuals of around 11 states while deprecating the practice of distribution of work and segregation of prisoners in separate wards on basis of their castes.
Maharashtra is set to hold local body elections for municipal councils and nagar panchayats, marking the first phase of a Supreme Court-mandated process. The elections are seen as a key indicator of political sentiment following the BJP-led Mahayuti's victory in the assembly elections.
A senior Haryana Police officer's suspected suicide has sparked controversy after a note he left behind accused senior officers of harassment and caste-based discrimination. His wife has demanded an FIR against the state police chief.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar expressed satisfaction over the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar, stating that the exercise has 'purified' the voters' list after 22 years. He made the announcement during a press conference in Patna.
Both NDA and INDIA are racing to woo marginalised groups with Assembly polls fast approaching.
'In Western UP, last time a lot of Dalits voted for the BJP.' 'This time, there is a rethink among Dalits about the extent of their support for the BJP.'
Charges under the SC/ST Act have been added to the FIR in the alleged suicide case of Haryana IPS officer Y Puran Kumar following a plea by his wife. The case involves allegations of caste-based discrimination and harassment against senior officers.
The wife of a Haryana Police officer who allegedly died by suicide has claimed his death was the result of 'systematic persecution' by high-ranking officers and has filed a complaint requesting an FIR be registered.
The BJP-led government's decision to grant Kunbi status to individuals from the Maratha community has opened a Pandora's box.
The Shiv Sena-UBT-Maharashtra Navnirman Sena panel has lost all 21 seats in the election to the BEST Employees Cooperative Credit Society Ltd, a platform where the two parties came together, sparking buzz about a pan-Maharashtra alliance.
The Assam assembly on Thursday passed a bill to ban polygamy, making it an offence which may lead to a maximum of 10 years of imprisonment, barring some exceptions.
'It is good for us if the JMM contests. That will divide the Opposition and give us the upper hand.'
Delhi University has condemned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's unannounced visit to its North Campus, calling it a breach of institutional protocol and a disruption of student governance operations. Gandhi, who is also the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, interacted with students from Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) at the DU's North Campus, focusing on issues of representation, equality and academic justice. The university criticised the visit for disrupting the functioning of a key student body, the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU). The RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which holds several posts in the DUSU, also issued a statement criticising Gandhi's visit.
The Bihar government has moved the Supreme Court challenging a Patna high court verdict that has set aside the amended reservation laws in the state, which enabled the Nitish Kumar government to increase the quotas for Dalits, tribals and backward classes from 50 per cent to 65 per cent.
'Devendra Fadnavis is stating that Marathas must feel OBCs are not happy with reservations for the Marathas and therefore they are protesting.'
'Bihar's caste survey has bolstered the Opposition parties, but one shouldn't forget that the BJP is also trying to present itself as a party that cares for the OBCs more than other parties,' points out Sanjay Kumar.
On Wednesday, the Bihar Cabinet in a meeting chaired by the chief minister passed a resolution on asking the Centre to include the provision in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution, Siddharth said.
The much-delayed decadal census exercise and the work to update the National Population Register (NPR) are likely to begin early 2025 and the data will be declared by 2026, thus changing future census cycles completely, official sources said.
The JNU VC said the "status of shudras given to women in Manusmriti" makes it extraordinarily regressive.
