The Kerala government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, clarified to the Supreme Court on Monday that it has no intentions to conduct a caste survey within the state. This statement was made in response to a contempt petition filed by the Minority Indians Planning and Vigilance Commission Trust.

In the affidavit submitted to the court, the government explained that it believes the data on socio-economic classes, compiled by the Central government in 2011, should be collected from the Centre. The government argued that the Centre is equally responsible for conducting a caste survey and identifying backward classes. It refuted allegations of intentional disobedience to the court's directives, emphasizing that it does not possess the socio-economic survey report as it was not published by the Central government.

The affidavit also shed light on the circumstances surrounding the state's request for a copy of the 2011 caste survey report to identify backward classes in Kerala. According to the government, the report was forwarded to the Kerala State Commission for Backward Classes chairman only in May 2023. However, the report was found to be unhelpful for the identification of socially and educationally backward classes within the state, as it lacked any relevant socio-economic caste data.

It is noteworthy that the Supreme Court had previously directed the Kerala government to conduct a survey to ensure the equitable distribution of reservation benefits in public employment. In 2021, the court granted an extension for completing the census by a year. However, the Minority Indians Planning and Vigilance Commission Trust later approached the court, citing the government's failure to complete the socio-economic caste census for revising the backward classes list.