Caste Census: A Detailed Report
Authors: Nitin Ranjan and Yasha Singh
Affiliation: Inside Jharkhand
Date: June 2025
Abstract:
India’s first caste census in 94 years marks a turning point in the quest for social justice. This report uncovers how the state’s reliance on century-old caste data has kept millions of OBCs, Denotified Tribes, and Dalit sub-castes invisible to public policy, resulting in distorted reservation benefits and elite capture. Drawing on data from the 2023 Bihar caste survey, the Rohini Commission, and legal case precedents, the report presents a roadmap to dismantle caste-based privilege and renew India’s social contract. It highlights the triple marginalization of Dalit women and trans persons and proposes a granular sub-categorization framework to guide future affirmative action policy.
📥 Download the full report (PDF):
Caste Census – A Detailed Report by Nitin Ranjan and Yasha Singh
Download Report:
📄 Caste Census: A Detailed Report (PDF)
Counting Power: The Caste Census and the Four Faces of Exclusion in India
Authors: Yasha Singh, Nitin Ranjan
Affiliation: Inside Jharkhand
Date: August 2025
Abstract:
India’s decision to reintroduce caste enumeration after nearly a century marks a pivotal moment in the country’s democratic journey. While often framed as a technical or administrative challenge, this paper argues that caste data collection is inherently political — shaped by power asymmetries that determine who is counted, how categories are constructed, and whose claims are rendered legible to the state. Using Archon Fung’s “four faces of power” framework — Everyday, Policy, Discursive, and Structural power — the paper critically examines how exclusion operates at every stage of India’s data architecture. Case studies of the 2011 Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC), state-level surveys in Bihar and Karnataka, and judicial rulings reveal how dominant groups maintain structural advantage. The paper argues that caste enumeration is not a divisive act but a democratic necessity — shifting India from symbolic recognition to structural redress.
Download Report:
📄 Counting Power: The Caste Census and the Four Faces of Exclusion in India (PDF)
Caste and Race: Shared Structure of Injustice
Authors: Yasha Singh, Nitin Ranjan
Affiliation: Inside Jharkhand
Date: September 2025
Abstract:
This working paper explores the intertwined structures of caste in India and race in the United States as parallel systems of exclusion and domination. Drawing on comparative history, law, and social theory, it examines how caste and race operate as deeply embedded hierarchies that determine access to rights, dignity, and opportunity. Through case studies, it highlights points of convergence and divergence in the struggles for equality, underscoring that solidarity across oppressed groups can generate new pathways for justice. The paper argues that caste and race are not isolated phenomena but globally resonant structures of injustice that demand intersectional and transnational responses.
Download Report:
📄 Caste and Race: Shared Structure of Injustice (PDF)