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PATNA: Bihar’s Grand Alliance government will pass new legislation, if required, to “complete at any cost” the caste survey halted by the Patna high court, finance minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said Friday, a day after the state moved the Supreme Court against the HC’s May 4 stay.
“The government will take all steps required to ensure completion of the caste survey because CM (Nitish Kumar) and the state want to complete it at any cost,” Choudhary said here.
The state moved the top court after the HC declined to advance the next hearing in the matter from early July as fixed before. “We asked the HC to give a final judgment in the matter. The high court did not agree. The government is hopeful of getting permission from the apex court to complete the survey,” Choudhary said.
In its SC appeal, the state has contended “huge loss” would be caused if the exercise is stopped and the HC stay will “adversely affect the entire process”. The first round of the caste survey was conducted in January. The second started on April 15 and was to continue till May 15.
In its May 4 stay, the HC had “prima facie” held that the state was conducting a “caste census” “under the garb of a survey”. A census falls within Parliament‘s legislative powers, the HC had said and added that the current survey raises questions about violations of the fundamental right of privacy because of personal data collected in the exercise.
On Friday, Choudhary said: “The HC has stated that in the caste survey, the state is collecting the same information and data as in a general census. When the Centre collects the same information and data for general census, the privacy of a citizen is not invaded. Then how can the privacy of a person be invaded when the state collects the same data and information for a caste survey?”
“The government will take all steps required to ensure completion of the caste survey because CM (Nitish Kumar) and the state want to complete it at any cost,” Choudhary said here.
The state moved the top court after the HC declined to advance the next hearing in the matter from early July as fixed before. “We asked the HC to give a final judgment in the matter. The high court did not agree. The government is hopeful of getting permission from the apex court to complete the survey,” Choudhary said.
In its SC appeal, the state has contended “huge loss” would be caused if the exercise is stopped and the HC stay will “adversely affect the entire process”. The first round of the caste survey was conducted in January. The second started on April 15 and was to continue till May 15.
In its May 4 stay, the HC had “prima facie” held that the state was conducting a “caste census” “under the garb of a survey”. A census falls within Parliament‘s legislative powers, the HC had said and added that the current survey raises questions about violations of the fundamental right of privacy because of personal data collected in the exercise.
On Friday, Choudhary said: “The HC has stated that in the caste survey, the state is collecting the same information and data as in a general census. When the Centre collects the same information and data for general census, the privacy of a citizen is not invaded. Then how can the privacy of a person be invaded when the state collects the same data and information for a caste survey?”
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