Karnataka HC to hear plea seeking stay to Socio-Economic survey on Sept 23

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Monday said it will hear on September 23 arguments on whether the ongoing Socio-Economic and Educational Survey, being carried out by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, should be stayed.

When a batch of petitions challenging the legality of the survey came up before a division bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C M Joshi on September 22, the court initially suggested that the matter could be taken up after the Dasara vacation.

However, counsel for the petitioners argued that the issue was urgent, pointing out that the exercise involves geo-tagging residents and linking their details with Aadhaar, which they claim violates privacy rights and runs contrary to the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016.

They also questioned the state government's authority to conduct such a survey.

Senior advocate Prabhuling K Navadgi, representing some petitioners, told the court that the data collection would be completed by October 6, before the courts reopen post-vacation, making it imperative for the court to intervene now.

The court asked the advocate representing the government whether the collection of data could be deferred till the petitions are adjudicated by it, after Dasara vacation for the courts.

Responding, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the state government, said the current survey is only an update of an earlier one which was not stayed by the court. He maintained that the data could be discarded if the survey were later invalidated.

The bench, however, expressed skepticism, asking how the data collection could be "reversed" once completed. It then decided to hear arguments on the plea for an interim stay on the process in the afternoon session of September 23.

The petitions have been filed by Rajya Vokkaliga Sangha, Akhila Karnataka Brahmana Mahasabha, Uday Shankar B.R., eight members of the Akhila Karnataka Veerashaiva-Lingayat Mahasabha, advocate KN Subba Reddy, and several others from the Vokkaliga community.