Patna: The caste-based survey will resume after the Patna High Court lifted the temporary ban and rejected the pleas challenging the decision of the Nitish Kumar government.
The survey had been temporarily halted on May 4 due to multiple petitions filed by individuals.
Initiated by the Nitish Kumar government on January 7, the survey was originally intended to conclude on May 15.
However, some petitioners argued that only the Central government should conduct the survey, as they believed the Bihar government was attempting to gain an “advantage” in elections.
The court had fixed the hearing on July 3 after summer vacation. After the vacation, the court opened on July 3, and the hearing of the case was held for five days in the court of Chief Justice K.V. Chandran following which the court reserved its verdict for August 1.
In the 100-page judgement, the Patna High Court has rejected all the pleas which said that caste-based survey comes under the central government’s jurisdiction.
The Solicitor General of Bihar. P.K. Shahi said that it was not a caste-based census but was a caste-based survey where the state government had spent Rs 500 crore.
He also pointed out that 80 per cent of the survey has already been completed.
The Patna high court has lifted the temporary ban, and the state government will complete the remaining 20 per cent work soon
