DNT leaders move Supreme Court seeking distinct enumeration in 2027 Census

Members of Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-nomadic Tribe (DNT) communities have approached the Supreme Court of India, seeking directions that their communities be enumerated distinctly in the 2027 Census with a specific question for this in the forms. The petitioners have 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”.

The petitioners, led by Dakxinkumar Bajrange, a DNT community leader in Gujarat, have sought specific directions from the court to the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India to include a specific question on the DNTs in both phases of the 2027 Census, which are the houselisting phase and the population enumeration phase.