Opposition Lambasts Demography Panel’s ‘Diabolical’ Questions, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• The Union government's High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes has sought religion-wise data from states on various aspects, including birth registrations, school enrolment, and property transactions.
• Opposition parties, including the Congress and AIMIM, have criticized the questionnaire, labeling it as having a "diabolical agenda" and raising concerns about privacy and potential targeting of minorities.
• The committee, constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs on May 26, 2026, was formed to study demographic changes arising from illegal immigration and other "abnormal" reasons.
• A former Special Chief Secretary of Punjab cited the Right to Privacy and a September 2025 Allahabad High Court ruling against caste profiling, arguing that the panel's data collection lacks legal basis and could lead to profiling.

Detailed Insights:

• The questionnaire from the High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes requests a district-wise and religion-wise breakdown of data for Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Parsis.
• It also asks states to identify unusual increases in Aadhaar enrolments, voter IDs, and ration cards, and to furnish information about forged identity documents.
• The committee's mandate includes recommending appropriate policy, administrative, and legal measures to address demographic shifts, particularly those linked to illegal immigration and abnormal settlement patterns.
• The Right to Privacy is recognized as a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, affirmed by the Supreme Court in the landmark Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) v. Union of India (2017) judgment.
• The Allahabad High Court ruling in September 2025 prohibited the mention of caste in police records and investigations, emphasizing that modern identification methods like Aadhaar make such profiling unnecessary.
• The upcoming Census 2027 is also scheduled to collect religion-wise data, but the current panel's extensive and specific religion-wise data request has drawn criticism for its scope and potential for misuse.

Key Concepts Involved:

• High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes: A panel formed by the Ministry of Home Affairs to conduct a scientific study of population shifts, particularly those linked to illegal immigration and other unusual factors.
• Right to Privacy: A fundamental right enshrined under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, protecting an individual's personal autonomy, dignity, and control over their personal information.
• Aadhaar: A 12-digit unique identification number issued to residents of India by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) under the Aadhaar Act, 2016, for efficient service delivery.
• Census: A decennial official enumeration of the population, collecting demographic and socio-economic data, including religion, which is crucial for policy planning and resource allocation.