Imprisonment of up to 3 years for negligence, misuse of data, offensive questions: Registrar General to Census officers

Negligence or misuse of data, obstruction of the exercise, and intentionally posing any offensive or improper question before the citizens: These are some of the offences that officials participating in the upcoming Census have been warned against by the Registrar General of India (RGI).

In a fresh reminder, the RGI has made it clear that these are punishable offences, attracting up to three years’ imprisonment under the Census Act.

In a communication sent on March 17 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 Rs 1,000 penalty to three years’ imprisonment, or both.
“Any Census officer, or any person lawfully required to assist in the taking of the Census, who refuses to perform duties assigned under the Act…or who hinders or obstructs another person from discharging such duties, can face legal action. The law also covers those who fail to exercise ‘reasonable diligence’ in carrying out instructions related to Census work,” it said.