Allahabad High Court Bans Mention of Caste in Uttar Pradesh Police Records
In a landmark ruling, the Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to stop the practice of recording caste in police investigation documents and other public records. The court called the practice a form of identity profiling that reinforces prejudice and violates fundamental rights. It also ordered a ban on caste-based slogans on vehicles. The bench stated that modern identification tools like Aadhaar make caste-based identification obsolete and that investigative impartiality must be cultivated to combat societal biases.
Unpacked:
The ruling was delivered in the context of a criminal case and reflects growing judicial concern over caste-based prejudice in policing and public life. The persistence of caste identification in official documents was deemed outdated and inconsistent with constitutional values of equality and secularism.
Police manuals and forms, such as FIRs and arrest memos, must be amended to remove caste columns. Officers can no longer record or reference caste during investigations, and defense lawyers may challenge cases where caste-based prejudice is suspected. The ruling aims to foster impartiality and reduce systemic bias in police work.
The judgment sets a strong legal precedent that may inspire similar reforms and legal challenges in other states where caste recording persists. By framing caste identification as a constitutional violation, the ruling could influence national conversations on police reform and anti-discrimination measures.
The court argued that tools such as Aadhaar cards, fingerprints, and mobile numbers offer reliable, non-discriminatory means of distinguishing individuals, making caste-based identification obsolete and unnecessary for law enforcement purposes.