On February 2, 2026, the Supreme Court of India declined to hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the method of recording and verifying caste data in the 2027 general census. However, the court directed the Centre and the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India to consider the suggestions made by the PIL petitioner, Aakash Goel, an academician. Represented by senior advocate Mukta Gupta, Goel requested that a transparent questionnaire for recording and verifying caste details be made public. The senior advocate claimed that the Directorate of Census Operations has not revealed how caste identities will be recorded, even though the census will include groups beyond Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for the first time in decades. The Bench responded that there is “no pre-determined data” on caste identification and that the census is governed by the Census Act, 1958, and 1990 Rules, which empower authorities to decide how the census is conducted. Chief Justice of India (CJI) noted, "We have no reason to doubt that respondent authority with aid and assistance of domain experts must have evolved a robust mechanism in order to rule out any mistake as apprehended by the petitioner and several like-minded persons." The Bench also acknowledged the petitioner’s representation to the Registrar General of Census Operations. The court disposed of the PIL but urged authorities to consider the legal notice and petition's suggestions. The 2027 Census, India's 16th national census, will be the first digital census and the first comprehensive caste enumeration since 1931.