Overview

• Enumerators visiting the couple’s Jayanagar home received a signed self-declaration dated October 10 stating they do not belong to any backward class and that sharing their details would not aid the survey’s purpose.
• The Karnataka High Court’s interim order says the exercise is voluntary, bars surveyors from insisting on answers, and requires that data be kept confidential and accessible only to the Backward Classes Commission.
• Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar called participation a personal choice, while minister Santosh Lad said the government cannot compel anyone; IT minister Priyank Kharge criticised the refusal and suggested BJP influence.
• Privacy concerns have fueled calls to abstain, with senior advocate B.V. Acharya urging caution and BJP figures such as Tejasvi Surya questioning data security; former Infosys executive T.V. Mohandas Pai also said he opted out.
• The teacher-led survey, launched September 22, has been extended as coverage lags, with Bengaluru reporting about 15.42 lakh households surveyed and statewide completion around 80–83%, and city officials running evening drives to reach absentees.