To preempt any move by the Centre to get interim stay on the order of Madras high court directing Census Commission to include identity of caste of every citizen as an additional factor in the ongoing census, an advocate on whose petition the order was passed filed a caveat in the Supreme Court.
The caveat will make it necessary for the top court registry to intimate petitioner advocate R. Krishnamurthy about the filing of the special leave petition (SLP) by the Union government and ensure that no order is passed by the court without hearing him.
“Let nothing be done in the matter without notice to the party-in-person (Krishnamurthy) as respondent. The caveator herein was the petitioner before the high court of Madras,” Chennai-based lawyer R. Krishnamurthy in one para caveat pleaded.
The high court in its order on May 13 had directed the Census Commissioner that it should take adequate measures for the conducting of caste-wise census in the ongoing population counting process while allowing Mr Krishnamurthy’s public interest litigation on the issue.
The high court’s division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Elipe Dharma Rao and Justice T.S. Sivagnanam had justifed the necessity of “caste-based” census to arrive at the “correct figures” about SC, ST and OBC population to fix proportionate reservation for them.