Spasht.
Caste census: how to count caste

Census 2027 form with an open caste field goes live in Ladakh and snow-bound areas

17 Aug 2026 · 3 outlets · 1 min read

AI illustration
In 30 seconds
  1. Online self-enumeration ran from 17 to 31 August; door-to-door counting in these areas was set for 1 to 30 September.
  2. Non-SC/ST respondents type a caste name, or choose 'No Caste' or 'Does not want to declare Caste'.
  3. The form has 13 new fields since 2011, including parents' birthplace and Aadhaar, voter ID and passport numbers.

On 17 August 2026, people in Ladakh and snow-bound parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand could start filling in the Census 2027 headcount form online. The form follows 40 questions notified on 14 August. Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) members pick their caste from a list; everyone else types a caste name. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh called the caste method 'deliberately flawed'.

Checked

Claim by claim

✓Verified

The Registrar General notified 40 questions on 14 August 2026, 13 of them new compared with the 2011 Census.

The Hindu reports the 14 August notification and 13 new fields; NDTV reports the 40 notified questions and the 17-31 August self-enumeration window.

The Hindu · NDTV
✓Verified

Only SC and ST respondents choose caste from a predefined list; others enter it in an open field.

The Hindu quotes Question 10(C): 'If not SC/ST in this State/UT-Enter Caste name'. ThePrint reports there are no drop-down or tick options for other castes.

The Hindu · ThePrint
?Unverified

Census 2027 has a 'deeper nefarious purpose'.

Said by Jairam Ramesh, Congress

This is an allegation about the government's intent. Ramesh pointed to new questions on parents' religion and birthplace; the sources reviewed contain no evidence of a hidden purpose.

The Hindu
In their own words

What each side says

Congress

Jairam Ramesh said the caste method is 'deliberately flawed' and asked why there is no caste drop-down menu, citing a 2021 government affidavit to the Supreme Court that called such a menu 'ideal'.

The Hindu
Union government officials

Officials later told The Hindu (3 September) that the open-column method was finalised only after other options were considered at the 'highest levels'.

The Hindu
Honest gaps

Not yet known

  • ?How many households in the early areas used the online form rather than waiting for enumerators.
Who reported this

Sources

Left-leaning · 2Centre · 1

3 outlets across the spectrum. Leanings are a rough guide to who reported it, not a verdict on accuracy.

  1. The HinduCensus 2027 questionnaire seeks parents’ religion, place of birth up to village level
  2. NDTVCaste, Covid Vaccine Location: Centre Notifies 40 Questions For Census 2027
  3. ThePrintCensus 2027: Question on caste among 40 notified by Centre for enumeration
  4. The HinduCensus 2027 has a nefarious purpose, says Congress
  5. The HinduGovernment dropped use of OBC lists for Census as those featured ‘classes, not castes’, say officials

Spasht writes original summaries. Follow the links to read each outlet's own report. Revision 1.