Supreme Court rejects petition for separate DNT enumeration in 2027 Census

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (March 24, 2026) dismissed a petition seeking the inclusion of a specific question in the upcoming Census forms to enumerate Denotified, Nomadic, and Semi-Nomadic Tribe (DNTs/NTs/SNTs) Communities.

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant remarked while hearing the matter that there appeared to be a “calculated” and “deep-rooted” effort to divide India, adding, “When we are striving for a casteless society, do you want to create more classes?”

The Court disposed of the petition with liberty to the petitioners to approach the appropriate government authorities with a representation.

Members of these communities had approached the Supreme Court, seeking directions that their communities be enumerated distinctly in the 2027 Census with a specific question for this in the forms. The petitioners had pointed out that since the formation of the Republic, their communities have never been counted in any of the Censuses, arguing that the absence of this data has led to community members being unable to avail government benefits and other affirmative action in their “collective interest”.