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The Supreme Court’s questioning about the validity of 1931 Census for implementing 27 per cent OBC reservation may force the government to look for alternative sources of information about OBC population in India. But, it also puts up the pertinent question as indicated in the court’s order: Was the survey a complete caste based enumeration?

Dr JH Hutton, the Census Commission for 1931 Census, had himself stated that the tabulation of data on individual castes was limited. On broad basis, the Census had divided the castes into three groups, exterior castes, primitive castes and other castes in broad groups. Exterior castes were mostly today’s Scheduled Castes and primitive castes were tribal castes. The other castes included identification of persons on basis of occupation like business or those performing religious duties for livelihood and functional castes like Rajputs.

In all, 51 racial groups were identified on basis of 18 different characters. However, a section was identified as depressed class. It was also pointed out in the court that the 1931 Census on which the government has based its 27 per cent OBC reservation was not caste-wise enumeration or tabulation.

Government officials say the castes were identified by government on basis of castes that were common both to Mandal Commission list and the state government lists. The number of castes in the OBC list are 2,293 as compared to 3,700 in the Mandal Commission list.
 
Unlike any other census done in India, the 1931 census had a unique feature — identification of persons on basis of their skin colour and body configuration. The Census found that most Tamil Brahmans had better facial features than the lower castes whereas a distinction was also made between those considered Aryans and non- Aryans. The census had also enumerated most of the languages spoken in India, an exercise never repeated again in independent India.

The 1931 census of 28 volumes was of bigger India including present day Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal with the country divided into three parts --- Himalaya, River plan and Deccan India. At that time, the population of unified India of 1.80 crore square kilometres was 35 crore. Now, as per 2001 Census, India’’s population is over 100 crores.

Ten years later, the British government did not carry out an extensive survey in wake of World War-II. But, in 1950 the then Home Minister Sardar Patel decided that there would be no caste-based census and since then no enumeration of backward classes has been done. Only figures of Constitutional valid castes — Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes — are provided in the Census. 

In absence of absolute data on backward classes, the government officials say, the ongoing survey of Below Poverty Line families in India in which OBC population is being identified can be used to convince the court. Or else, a new caste based census will have to be done that is likely to take months.

The court has already negated the OBC population figures based on National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) data and National Family Health Survey data. The government had, however, pointed that the data consistently showed that the OBC population was more than 27 per cent reservation given to them.

OBC population

NSSO survey: 41.2 per cent of the population.
Mandal Commission: 52 per cent.
National Family Health Survey: 33.5 per cent Hindu OBCs.