New Delhi | CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby has written to President Droupadi Murmu seeking her intervention for withdrawal of amendments to the Census Rules, 1990, expressing concern over the expanded categories of people who can be appointed as census enumerators.
In a letter to the President, Baby said the amendments notified by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on October 16 raise questions about the impartiality of enumerators, criteria for their selection, and safeguards against partisan interference.
The Census (Amendment) Rules, 2026, allow teachers from aided and unaided private educational institutions, employees of institutions, societies and trusts, and officials and clerical staff of public sector undertakings, statutory bodies, banks and companies to be appointed as enumerators.
They also permit the appointment of any person considered suitable by a state or Union Territory administration.
Baby said the discretion granted to state governments and UT administrations, without clearly specified criteria or publicly accountable safeguards, creates considerable scope for arbitrary and politically motivated appointments.
"The Census involves the collection of extensive personal information from every household and individual. They would be reluctant to share such information with persons in whom they don't have confidence," he said.
He said apprehensions that the information provided could be used to politically profile people, target particular communities, question their citizenship or deny them legitimate rights and entitlements were genuine in the prevailing political atmosphere.
The CPI(M) leader also flagged concerns over the questionnaire notified for the second phase of Census 2027 on August 14, which seeks such information as the religion of parents, bank account details, Aadhaar, passport, and mobile number.
On August 24, the CPI(M) submitted a memorandum to the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, demanding that the collection of these personal details be stopped. It also sought stringent safeguards to prevent Census data from being linked with other databases or used for purposes beyond those for which they were collected.
Baby said the concerns acquire a greater urgency following the latest amendments to the Census Rules.
Referring to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, he said the exercise has seen eligible citizens being excluded through opaque procedures and arbitrary documentation requirements.
"In this context, the prospect of collecting sensitive personal information on a nationwide scale, through an expanded and insufficiently regulated network of enumerators, is deeply troubling," he said.
Describing the Census as a national exercise belonging to the people of India, Baby said it could not be allowed to serve the political interests of the ruling party or its ideological affiliates.
"The Census must not become another SIR. It must not be turned into an instrument of surveillance, citizenship determination or electoral exclusion," he said.
Baby also called upon the Union government to withdraw the amendments and ensure that the Census was conducted in accordance with constitutional principles and public trust.