Uttar Pradesh govt bans caste-based political rallies: 'Threat to public order, national unity'

UP CM Yogi Adityanath

The Uttar Pradesh government has issued a sweeping order prohibiting caste-based political rallies and public displays of caste identity, calling them a threat to “public order” and “national unity," reported The Indian Express. The move, which could reshape political strategies ahead of the 2027 assembly elections, was announced late Sunday by officiating Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar through a directive sent to district magistrates, senior bureaucrats, and police officials across the state.

According to the report, the directive is rooted in a September 16 ruling of the Allahabad High Court. In that judgment, the court asked the state to stop recording caste details in police documents except where legally required under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. It criticized the rationale provided by the state’s DGP, saying it was detached from “the complex realities of Indian society and the demands of professional policing.”

The order contains a 10-point framework. It bans caste-based rallies conducted for political purposes, stating such gatherings “promote caste conflict in society” and go against the principles of unity. It also directs police and district authorities to remove caste signboards or announcements that glorify caste or declare geographical areas as belonging to a particular caste, as per the report. “Effective steps should be taken to ensure that no such boards are put up in future,” the order says.

In police work, caste identifiers are to be deleted. Arrest memos, personal search memos, and panchanamas should not carry caste details, and police station notice boards must remove caste columns altogether. According to the report, the only exception is when cases are filed under the SC/ST Act. The order further instructs that suspects’ records must include the names of both parents, with an emphasis on listing the mother’s name alongside the father’s.

The National Crime Records Bureau has been asked to delete the column mentioning caste from the CCTNS portal. Until the portal is modified, caste details must be omitted entirely, while technical changes are made to include both parents’ names in the records.

The directive also targets public and private spaces beyond police files. Vehicles carrying caste slogans, names, or stickers are to be challaned under the Central Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. Online content glorifying or insulting caste will be closely monitored, with strict action against those inciting caste sentiments.

The High Court had also flagged visible caste assertions in public spaces, noting: “In rural India, sub-urban towns and even in certain colonies of district headquarters, certain disgruntled elements-driven by false caste pride and caste narcissism-have installed signboards glorifying caste and declaring specific geographical areas as caste territories or estates.” It asked the government to ensure such displays are removed immediately.

The court further directed the state to prepare a regulatory framework for amending the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR) to explicitly prohibit caste-based slogans or identifiers on all vehicles. It also called for strengthening the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, to combat caste-glorifying and hate-inducing material on social media.

The government’s order makes clear that its policy aims for inclusivity consistent with constitutional values. It instructs officials to take firm action against any activity that spreads division through “caste-based displays and protests.”

Politically, the decision is expected to affect both the BJP and its allies like Apna Dal, Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party, and NISHAD Party, as well as opposition groups. Since caste-based mobilization often becomes more prominent in the run-up to elections, the ban is likely to alter outreach strategies as campaigning for the 2027 assembly polls intensifies.

Also read: 'Legal fallacy': Allahabad High Court asks UP govt to not mention caste of accused in police documents