Overview

• Senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily has urged the Karnataka government to conduct a new caste survey, citing flaws in the 2015 data collected by the Kantharaj Commission.
• The 2015 survey has sparked controversy over reported undercounts of dominant caste groups like Lingayats and Vokkaligas and a 4–6% rise in Muslim population, raising questions about its accuracy.
• A special cabinet meeting on April 17 failed to reach consensus on the report, with the next review scheduled for May 2 to address ongoing disagreements.
• Moily warned that implementing the current data could polarize society and called for cross-party consultation to ensure social cohesion and legal compliance.
• The state government faces pressure to align its approach with Supreme Court guidelines, which mandate caste census reviews every ten years, a requirement unmet for over three decades.