Karnataka: Fate of ambitious caste census hangs in balance

Possibility of Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission (KSBCC) submitting a report of the 2015 Socio-Economic Survey-popularly being referred as caste census to the government, as desired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah recently, appears bleak.

The survey was conducted during the previous tenure of Siddaramaiah as the chief minister and KSBCC is attributing both legal and statutory hurdles in submitting a report by Kantharaj Commission in its original form.

According to sources in KSBCC, the plan is to draw up a fresh report, based on the data collected by Kantharaj Commission. Siddaramaiah had commissioned this survey to KSBCC then headed by H Kantharaj and the report prepared is being referred as Kantharaj Commission Report. The Siddaramaiah government had spent Rs 162 crore on this caste census project, covering a population of 6 crore across Karnataka.

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Legal hurdles

Speaking to The Federal, KSBCC Chairman K Jayaprakash Hegde clarified that “there are legal hurdles in submitting the Kantharaj Commission report to the government in its ‘original’ form. It is also legally and statutorily not right for the Commission to handover the data of socio-economic survey collected to the government. It is the constitutional responsibility of the Commission to analyse the data collected and submit recommendations based on that to the government”.

Explaining the hurdles in submitting the Kantharaj Commission report, Hegde said, “KSBCC has sent a written communication to the government recently explaining reasons for not handing over the report and the Commission is waiting for the response from the government.”

The legal hurdle is that the statute demands signature of Member Secretary of the Commission, when the report was finalised. But the then Member Secretary had not signed the report then for the reasons best known to him. It is not legally permissible for the then Member Secretary to sign the report now, as certain changes have been made in the report later. Though the Commission asked the Member Secretary to clarify his stand, ‘both orally and through proper communication’, he has not responded to that so far. The Commission has also written to the government to clarify on further course of action under the present circumstances.

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Commission’s dilemma

Following the CM’s statement on accepting the report, the Commission is in a dilemma on whether to submit the report in its original form or submitting a fresh report based on the data collected by the Kantharaj Commission. “On getting clear instructions from the government, the Commission will decide on, whether to submit Kantharaj Commission Report in its ‘original’ format or the newly drawn report, based on the data collected by Kantharaj Commission,” said Hegde, adding that, “The Commission is prepared to submit report in any form to the government”.

Objection to ‘caste census’

Nevertheless, Hegde expressed his reservation over referring to the Socio-Economic Survey conducted by Kantharaj Commission as ‘caste census’. “It is a socio-economic survey. Data collected through this survey will help in carving reservations for various communities in education and employment sectors. The Commission is consistently in touch with the government.”

Sources in the government disclosed that an unofficial discussion has been held on the hurdles and technical issues involved in accepting the Kantharaj Commission report and the ways to overcome them, without attracting legal complications.

Unscientific survey

Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah’s move to accept the report of the 2015 socio-economic survey and table it in the assembly session has created ripples in Karnataka politics. A section of the Veerashaiva-Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities have decided to appeal to the government to not make it public. The contention of the community is that “the way the survey was conducted in 2015 was unscientific”.

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It is reliably learnt that; Nirmalananda Swamiji of Adi Chunchanagiri Mutt (a prominent Vokkaliga Mutt) has recently asked the Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC chief DK Shivakumar to not to accept the report. It is significant to note that as many as 60 legislators from Lingayat (39) and Vokkaliga (21) communities got elected on Congress tickets.

It is necessary for the KSBCC to submit the report by November, as the three-year term of Hegde who got appointed as the chairperson of the Commission in November 2020 will end and the new chairman has to take over to decide future course of action.