Authority: Supreme Court of India
Order Date: 29 October 2026
Case Overview
- Writ Petition(s)(Civil) No(s). 1286/2026 filed by OBC Federation of India (claiming status as a registered society) against Union of India & others.
- Hearing held on 28‑10‑2026 before a bench comprising the Chief Justice, Hon'ble Mr. Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Hon'ble Mrs. Justice V. Mohana.
- Petitioners, represented by Mr. Rameshwar Thakur, Adv. Mr. Ashok Sharma, Adv. Mrs. Anjani Aiyagari‑1155 and AOR Ms. Vandana Khanorkar, sought a direction under Article 32 to have the recognised list of Other Backward Castes (OBCs) pre‑loaded as a dropdown menu in the digital census tools for the caste question (Column No.10) of Census 2027, which was notified on 14.08.2026.
- They argued that the current format provides an open‑text field for caste description, which they said would repeat the failure of the Socio‑Economic Caste Census 2011, and therefore requested the Union to incorporate a dropdown menu similar to that used in the 2011 SECC.
Final Outcome
- The Court observed that the issue primarily concerns a policy decision best addressed by the appropriate policymakers.
- Without expressing any opinion on the merits, the Court disposed of the writ petition, granting the petitioner liberty to approach the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India with a representation on the matter.
- The Court also ordered that any pending applications, if any, stand disposed of.
- The order was digitally signed by ARJUN BISHT on 2026.10.29, with Preethi Dileep Kumar, ASTT. Registrar‑cum‑PS Dy. Registrar, also noted.
Topics: Census Policy, Legal Procedure