BC survey: Telangana HC asks govt to consider ‘no caste, no religion’ options

Hyderabad: Justice Surepalli Nanda of the Telangana High Court has instructed the state government and its Backward Classes (BC) Commission to promptly consider the requests made by the Kula Nirmulana Sangham (KNS).

The KNS is advocating for the inclusion of an option in the upcoming BC census for individuals who wish to identify as having no caste and no religion. However, Justice Nanda declined to mandate the creation of a separate column in the census questionnaire at this late stage.

In his ruling, Justice Nanda emphasized that Article 25(1) of the Indian Constitution guarantees individuals the right to practice and propagate their chosen religion.

This provision implicitly includes the freedom to declare oneself as not belonging to any religion or caste. He directed the authorities to review the representations submitted by KNS on October 29 and November 1 and make decisions in accordance with legal provisions before adjourning the case until December 4.