New Delhi: Recently, there has been a development where the Supreme Court decided not to intervene in Bihar’s census, which reported a population of over 13.07 crore for the state. The Apex Court stated that it does not have the authority to prevent a state government from making decisions. Various petitions challenging the census have been filed, including one by the NGO ‘Ek Soch Ek Paryas.’ Among those contesting the state government notification for this exercise is Akhilesh Kumar, a resident of Nalanda, who argues that it goes against requirements.
The Chief Minister Nitish Kumar led the Bihar government, unveiled the survey results before the 2024 elections. These findings indicate that Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) together make up a proportion of 63 percent of the state’s population. The data shows that out of the 13.07 crore population, Extremely Backward Classes constitute the segment at 36 percent followed by Other Backward Classes at 27.13 percent.
The survey also highlights that Yadavs, an OBC group to which Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav belongs, are the populous with around 14.27 percent representation, in Bihar’s population. Additionally, Dalits or Scheduled Castes account for 19.65 percent of the state’s population.
Bihar is also the residence of 22 lakhs (1.68 percent) of individuals who are classified as Tribes.
The choice made by the Supreme Court to refrain from interfering in the matter of caste census highlights the importance of government autonomy, thereby upholding the validity of Bihar’s survey results.