- Officials said the open-column method was finalised after options were weighed at the 'highest levels'.
- Non-caste entries are a minority among the nearly 3,000 communities classified as OBC, The Hindu reported.
- A Swarajya analysis argued an open column records self-identity and leaves sorting to experts at tabulation.
Union government officials told The Hindu on 3 September 2026 that the Centre considered using Central and State lists of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) for Census 2027 but dropped the idea because the lists describe 'classes', not only castes. They cited entries such as tea garden workers in Assam and 'local borns' in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Congress and OBC groups want communities listed and counted specifically.
Claim by claim
Some OBC list entries describe occupational groups, labourers or settlers rather than castes.
The Hindu cites officials and gives examples from the lists, including tea garden workers in Assam and 'local borns' in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The HinduThe same community can carry different official status in different states' lists.
The Hindu reports communities on one state's OBC list may be SC or ST elsewhere; Swarajya gives examples such as Koli and the differing Kewat, Mallah, Nishad and Bind entries in Uttar Pradesh.
The Hindu · SwarajyaWhat each side says
Officials said each option had 'pros and cons' and that OBC lists could not serve as a caste menu because many entries are classes of people rather than castes.
The HinduThey argue OBC communities should be listed and counted specifically, and that a drop-down list prepared from government lists, as in Bihar and Telangana, would give reliable numbers.
The Hindu · ScrollArgues a national drop-down would have to pick between Central and State lists that do not agree, and would force people into categories they may reject; it says the open column lets each person describe their own caste.
SwarajyaNot yet known
- ?Whether the government will publish the internal note comparing the options it considered.
Sources
3 outlets across the spectrum. Leanings are a rough guide to who reported it, not a verdict on accuracy.
- The HinduGovernment dropped use of OBC lists for Census as those featured ‘classes, not castes’, say officials
- SwarajyaCensus 2027's Open Caste Column Is Not Sabotage. It Is The Only Honest Way To Count.
- ScrollCensus: Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge urge PM Modi to cancel current caste questionnaire
Spasht writes original summaries. Follow the links to read each outlet's own report. Revision 1.