The Karnataka High Court has ruled that participation in the ongoing social and educational survey, commonly referred to as the caste survey, must be voluntary. On September 25, the court declined to stay the survey but instructed the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes (KSCBC) to issue a public notification clarifying that enumerators cannot compel residents to provide information. The court emphasized that all data collected must remain confidential and only accessible to the KSCBC.

The survey aims to document the social, economic, educational, and political representation of various castes and communities in Karnataka. This is the second such survey in a decade, and the state is utilizing technology to complete the enumeration process within 15 days. However, the survey has faced a slow start, with only 1.7 lakh enumerators managing to cover about 400 houses and 1,100 individuals by noon on the first day.

K.A. Dayanand, member-secretary of KSCBC, attributed the sluggish beginning to initial challenges, stating, "Today being Day 1, we expected a slow start, as enumerators had to download these applications and start using them. We will see more traction in the next couple of days."

Enumerators reported various issues, including delays in receiving OTPs for Aadhaar authentication, which frustrated many respondents. One enumerator noted, "With enumerators having a larger area to cover, a delay of 2-5 minutes in verifying credentials has become time-consuming."

In some districts, such as Bengaluru Urban and Dakshina Kannada, fieldwork did not commence on the first day due to incomplete training and confusion among enumerators. Teachers involved in the survey expressed concerns about technical difficulties and network connectivity issues. Chandrashekar Nugli, president of the Primary School Teachers' Association, expressed hope that the situation would improve as the survey progressed.

The court's decision followed a series of hearings regarding the legality of the survey, with petitioners arguing that linking caste details with personal identification violated privacy rights. The court has mandated that enumerators inform participants of their right to decline to answer questions, ensuring that no pressure is applied to provide information.