Bihar Caste Survey Row: Supreme Court Refuses To Stay HC Order, Hearing Deferred Till 14 August

The hearing on a petition challenging the Patna High Court order upholding the Bihar caste survey was adjourned by the Supreme Court on Monday (7 August).

The court declined to grant any status on the order until the next date of hearing i.e 14 August.

The petition filed by NGO 'Ek Soch Ek Prayas' was taken up by a bench of Justices Sanjeev Khanna and S V N Bhatti.

Senior Advocate C S Vaidyanathan requested more time, stating that another petition filed against the judgment was yet to be listed.

As a result, the hearing was postponed to the next week.

The senior counsel requested that the court direct the maintenance of the status quo in the meantime.

However, the bench declined the request, stating that they had not yet issued notice or heard from the petitioners.

Previously, on 1 August, the High Court had granted permission to the Bihar government to proceed with its caste survey.

This decision was based on the government's assurance of data protection in the Assembly.

Earlier, on 4 May, the court had temporarily halted the caste survey, stating that the state government lacked the authority to conduct it.

The High Court justified its decision by stating that the survey did not infringe upon individuals' privacy rights, as it did not involve coercion and was in the interest of the state.

The High Court's ruling on the caste survey was in response to six petitions that raised concerns about data protection, the competency of the state government to carry out the survey, and the significant expenditure of over Rs 500 crore on the project.