Counting Without Understanding? Conceptual and Empirical Challenges in India’s Caste Census

This article critically examines the conceptual and empirical challenges of caste enumeration in India, arguing that the lack of clarity about caste’s fluid, regionally diverse and politically contested nature has led to inconsistent data and inequitable policy outcomes. Through a myth-deconstruction framework, it identifies six persistent misconceptions—such as caste equals surname, caste is homogeneous or exclusive to Hinduism—that distort understanding and governance. Drawing on sociological theory, policy documents and previous enumeration efforts like the SECC 2011, the article demonstrates how flawed assumptions hinder reliable data collection and social justice interventions. It calls for a methodologically rigorous and ethically grounded caste census that integrates ethnographic insight, regional specificity and transparency to strengthen democracy and inclusive development in India.