New Delhi, March 26 An officer who intentionally asks "any offensive or improper question" during the 2027 Census will face punishment, including imprisonment of up to three years, upon conviction, according to the latest circular issued by the Registrar General of India.
In a note circulated to all states, Registrar General & Census Commissioner Mritunjay Kumar Narayan listed the penalties prescribed under Section 11 of the Census Act, 1948, which range from a fine of Rs 1,000 to three years' imprisonment, or both, upon conviction in certain categories.
The order stipulates a maximum sentence of three years' imprisonment for any census officer who "intentionally asks any offensive or improper question" or knowingly makes "any false return," or, without the prior approval of the central or state government, discloses any information obtained during the census.
An officer who "fails to exercise reasonable diligence" in performing any duty during the census, disobeys any order, or hinders or obstructs another person in performing such a duty, will also face the same punishment if convicted.
"Any enumerator, compiler, or other member of the census staff who removes, conceals, damages, or destroys any census documents, or deals with any census document in a manner likely to falsify or impair the tabulation of census results," will also be liable to imprisonment upon conviction, it said.
The Union Cabinet has approved Rs 11,718 crore for conducting the 2027 Census of India, which will include the first-ever caste enumeration.
The 16th Census since Independence will be a fully digital exercise and will offer citizens the option of self-enumeration.
The decennial exercise, scheduled for 2021, has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic across the country.