Centre Expands Census Enumerator Pool to Include Private School Teachers

Overview

• The Registrar General of India issued the Census (Amendment) Rules, 2026 in the official gazette on October 16, 2026, explicitly adding teachers of aided and unaided private institutions to the list of people state and UT administrations may appoint as census enumerators.
• The amended rule also names clerks and officials from government bodies and any person a state or UT administration considers suitable, giving administrations broad discretion to expand the staffing pool.
• Several high courts have already granted interim relief to private schools opposing requisition orders, with the Punjab and Haryana High Court staying two Haryana communications on October 8 and listing the matter for further hearing on April 29, 2027.
• The legal dispute centers on competing legal texts: the Centre used Section 18(1) of the Census Act, 1948 to change the rules while petitioners rely on Section 4A and constitutional rights to argue private unaided school staff are not within the ‘local authority’ category that can be compulsorily deputed.
• Officials say the change responds to real staffing needs for the two‑phase, mobile‑based Census 2027, which requires millions of enumerators and has staggered schedules for some states because of elections and difficult terrain, but the wider use of private staff raises questions about legal limits and data-handling practices that courts will decide.