PATNA: In a setback to the grand alliance government in Bihar, the Patna High Court on Thursday issued an interim order directing the ongoing caste-based census in the state be put on hold. A division bench of Chief Justice K Vinod Chandran and Justice Madhuresh Prasad, while hearing three PILs filed against caste-based survey, directed the state government to stop the survey immediately.
“Prime facie, we are of the opinion that the state has no power to carry out a caste-based survey... impinging upon the legislative power of the Union Parliament,” the court said. The HC directed the government not to share the data collected so far with anybody. The next hearing will be on July 3.
Rapping the government’s intent to share the data with political parties, the HC said it’s a violation of right to privacy. Earlier, one of the petitioners had moved the Supreme Court, which referred the matter back to the HC directing it to decide on the matter expeditiously.