Patna HC rejects Bihar govt’s plea for early hearing in caste-based survey case
Patna, May 9 (IANS) Patna High Court on Tuesday rejected the Bihar government’s plea seeking an early hearing in the case pertaining to caste-based survey in the state.
Earlier on May 4, the high court put an interim stay on the caste-based survey saying that “it looks like a census and the Bihar government has no right to conduct it”. The court categorically said that conducting a census is in the domain of Centre and state cannot do it. The court had also given the next date of hearing for July 3.
After the interim order, Solicitor General P.K. Shahi, on behalf of the Bihar government, had filed a plea on May 6 seeking urgent hearing in this matter. Keeping this in view, the double bench of Patna High Court’s Chief Justice K.V. Chandran and Justice Madhuresh Kumar admitted the plea of Bihar government and asked the solicitor general P.K. Shahi to put his points on May 9.
During the court hearing, Dinu Kumar, the senior lawyer of Patna High Court, said, “The solicitor general pointed out that the Bihar government is conducting a survey, but the court did not agree with it and refused to give a date for hearing in the near future.
“The Patna High Court said that the next date of hearing is fixed for July 3 this year and hearing before it is not possible.”
“We have pointed out that the state government is spending Rs 500 crore of taxpayers money to count the castes. It is not a survey, but it is a census which the state government cannot do,” Kumar said.