How Caste Will Be Enumerated in Census 2027

Factual mechanics only. Decision: the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA), meeting on 30 April 2025, decided that caste enumeration would be included in Census 2027; it takes place in Phase 2 (Population Enumeration, February 2027; September 2026 in snow-bound areas). This is the first enumeration of caste for the full population since the 1931 census; censuses from 1951 to 2011 systematically enumerated only Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).

Where the question sits: the Population Enumeration schedule of 40 questions was notified by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India on 14 August 2026 under the Census Act, 1948. News reports of the notification (ThePrint, ANI, Deccan Herald) state that question number 10 covers 'Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST)/Caste' — i.e., SC/ST status and the caste of every individual are recorded in the same block of the individual schedule.

How the answer is recorded: per ThePrint's report on the notification, the caste question is open-ended — 'enumerators have to record the caste details based on response by the people and it will not contain any drop down or tick mark options.' Caste is written exactly as declared by the respondent, with no pre-fixed list on the app (confidence: news reports of the notified schedule; the gazette text itself was not directly inspected).

This mirrors the general census rule that no documents are demanded and all particulars are recorded as stated by the respondent (official Goa FAQ: 'The enumerator will take down all particulars as given by you. You are not required to show any proof.'). Phase 1 link: the houselisting schedule already asks (item 13 of the PIB-published list) 'whether the head of the household belongs to SC/ST/Other' — household-level head classification, not individual caste.

Self-enumeration: respondents completing Phase 2 self-enumeration online will enter caste details themselves through the portal; institutional and houseless households are canvassed only by enumerators. Processing challenge noted in commentary: the 1931 census recorded over 4,000 caste entries, and analysts (e.g., Civils Daily) note the need to standardize/classify free-text caste returns after collection; the RGI has not yet published the classification or code-directory procedure for the 2027 caste returns (confidence: unconfirmed — no official methodology document on post-collection caste classification seen as of 2026-09-01).

Confidentiality: like all census responses, individual caste returns are protected by Section 15 of the Census Act, 1948 — not open to inspection, not admissible in evidence, and released only as aggregates.