While backward castes need to be profiled, the census is not the best method to do so. For, objective data is difficult to come by due to the concept of caste changing according to the context and the impossibility of enumerating small but significant changes when attempting to take a large, overall picture.

P K MISRA

 

T

he Supreme Court’s stay on the implementation of 27 per cent quota for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in central higher educational institutions has once again brought to the centre stage the issue of reservation based on caste.