Society · 24 Jul 2026

AMU minority status Azeez Basha

With reference to caste enumeration in India, consider the following statements:

  1. The 2011 Socio Economic and Caste Census recorded caste using a fixed drop-down list of pre-notified categories.
  2. The 1931 Census recorded a significantly smaller number of distinct caste names than the 2011 SECC.
  3. The Census currently records caste only for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes through a drop-down menu, with all others marked "Others."
  4. Herbert Hope Risley's classification approach in 1901 relied on open-ended self-declaration by respondents rather than pre-set administrative categories.

How many of the above statements are correct?

A1 and 2 only
B2 and 3 only
C1 and 3 only
D1, 2 and 3

Tests the ability to track a constitutional doctrine's evolution across two Supreme Court rulings nearly six decades apart and connect it to a live current-affairs application - a layered analytical skill beyond simple recall.

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This question is based on: India's Caste Census Dilemma Is Older Than the Census Itself
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About this question

Why in news

A demolition notice against 38 of 40 buildings at the Azam Khan-founded Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur has revived debate on the vulnerability of minority-founded institutions to administrative action, echoing AMU's decades-long legal battle.

Why for UPSC

UPSC has tested Article 30 and minority institution status before; the 2024 AMU verdict is a landmark update that examiners are likely to probe given its recency and constitutional significance.

Prelims summary

Azeez Basha (1967) denied AMU minority status due to its statutory origin; a 2024 seven-judge Bench (4:3) overruled this, holding that statutory incorporation doesn't erase a minority community's founding role under Article 30.

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