The Bihar government has been ordered to immediately halt its controversial caste survey by the Patna High Court. A division bench directed the state to prevent data from the survey being shared and secured until further notice. The court will next hear the case on 7 July, following a number of petitions that challenged the survey and criticised data integrity and security. The case is seen as an embarrassment for the ruling Nitish Kumar Government, which started the survey in January 2017. BJP and 'social justice' parties have demanded a nationwide caste survey to determine correct OBC entitlement levels in government jobs and institutions.
