Government warns census staff against offensive questions in Census 2027

Census officers asking offensive or improper questions during Census 2027 may face up to three years in jail, as per a government circular. The order also lists penalties for negligence, false reporting and unauthorised disclosure of census data

New Delhi: An officer who intentionally puts “any offensive or improper question” during the Census 2027 shall face punishment with imprisonment which may extend to three years upon conviction, the latest circular issued by the Registrar General of India said.

In a note circulated to all states, Registrar General & Census Commissioner Mritunjay Kumar Narayan listed the penalties prescribed under Section 11 of the Census Act, 1948, which range from a Rs 1,000 fine to three years’ imprisonment, or both, upon conviction under certain categories.

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The order underlines a punishment of up to three years’ imprisonment upon conviction for any census officer who “intentionally puts any offensive or improper question” or knowingly makes “any false return” or, without the previous sanction of the central government or the state government, discloses any information received during the census.

An officer who “neglects to use reasonable diligence” in performing any duty during the census, disobeys any order or hinders or obstructs another person in performing any such duty shall also face the same punishment, if convicted.

“Any sorter, compiler or other member of the census staff who removes, secretes, damages or destroys any census documents or deals with any census document in a manner likely to falsify or impair the tabulation of census results” shall also be liable for imprisonment upon conviction, it said.

The Union Cabinet has approved Rs 11,718 crore for conducting the Census of India, 2027, which will include caste enumeration for the first time.

The 16th Census since Independence will be a fully digital exercise and will offer citizens the option of self-enumeration.

The decadal exercise, scheduled for 2021, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic across the country.