Karnataka caste survey voluntary: HC's big ruling on privacy concerns

India Sep 25, 2025

The Karnataka High Court just made it clear—the state's caste survey is completely voluntary. No one can force you to share details, and surveyors can't demand your info.
Plus, anything you do share will be kept confidential and only the Commission for Backward Classes gets to see it.
The court even ordered that this be publicly announced so everyone knows their rights.

Court's reassurance amid privacy concerns

This move comes after people raised concerns about privacy and how the survey was being run—like whether religion should be recorded or if Aadhaar numbers would be misused.
The court reassured everyone that only the Commission for Backward Classes can access the data, and the whole point of the survey is to help backward classes.