Bengaluru: Even as pressure is mounting on the Karnataka Government to make the State’s Socio-economic and Educational Census, popularly known as the ‘caste census’, public, in a narrative resembling a suspense thriller, it has now come to light that the original copy of the survey report has mysteriously disappeared, raising eyebrows and legal concerns.

The original report, crafted by H. Kantharaj, former Chairman of the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, is reportedly missing from the Commission’s strong room. Although scanned copies exist, lacking authorisation renders them unacceptable to the Government. The current Commission, led by Chairman K. Jayaprakash Hegde, is now crafting a new report based on the same data obtained from Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) systems.

Jayaprakash Hegde has written a letter to the State Government and has asserted that the original caste census data is missing. He stated that the caste census report was kept in the Commission’s Office on August 26, 2021.

The data collected, including the sealed boxes containing original documents and other details, was presented before the Commission members and the Secretary in a sealed envelope on Oct. 5, 2021. However, the main report with the Secretary’s signature is not present in the printed main report, he said.

Rs. 158.47 crore spent

The circumstances leading to the disappearance of the report remain unclear. The original survey was initiated by the then CM Siddharamaiah in 2015. The missing original report, containing crucial caste and community percentage data, had been prepared after an extensive survey at a cost  of Rs. 158.47 crore.

The Karnataka Government, eager to implement the survey findings, plans to accept the new caste census ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, potential legal challenges loom, with concerns about the sanctity of the report and why the original      was not submitted.

Meanwhile, In a hurried move this morning, Siddharamaiah Government has extended the tenure of Chairman of Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes Jayaprakash Hegde by one month. His term was to end on Nov. 26 and now it will end on Dec. 26. He has been granted time to rectify ‘errors and discrepancies’ in the report and collate the actual data that was compiled during the census. 

Divisions within Congress

The differences in the State Government over the release of the census report continues to haunt the Congress, with Chief Minister Siddharamaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar taking a diametrically opposite stand over making the caste census report public.

While Siddharamaiah has supported accepting the caste census report, Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar has opposed it. Shivakumar, along with some Ministers from the Vokkaliga community, even signed a memorandum submitted by the State Vokkaligara Sangha against making the report public.

Siddharamaiah has cited his high command Rahul Gandhi, who asserted that the Congress would conduct a caste survey if voted to power at the Centre. Siddharamaiah has become more vocal about making the report public and implementing its recommendations.

To avoid controversies, the report will first be presented to a newly-constituted Cabinet Sub-Committee led by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil, which will assess the pros and cons of the caste census report. With the formation of the Cabinet Sub-Committee, the Government aims to mitigate immediate backlash from dominant communities and projected dominant communities if the report is made public.