Kochi: The high court has granted the state govt an additional month to take a decision on conducting a socio-economic caste survey across the entire state, taking note of the govt’s submission that the matter requires cabinet approval.A bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice V M Syam Kumar accordingly adjourned the contempt petition filed by the Minority Indians Planning and Vigilance Commission Trust to Jan 7. The trust approached the court alleging non-compliance with an earlier court order in a petition relating to the inadequate representation of backward classes in public services and the state govt’s failure to conduct a socio-economic survey in terms of the Kerala State Backward Classes Act.The Backward Classes Development Department filed an affidavit in response to the contempt petition, stating that the caste data from SECC-2011 had not been made available to the state govt. Hence, the state govt would have to undertake the exercise of finalising the socio-economic study afresh. Conducting a socio-economic caste survey covering the entire state is a matter requiring a policy decision by the govt, including on the scope of the survey, the course of action to be adopted and the data to be collected, in consultation with the Kerala State Commission for Backward Classes. Such a survey can be commenced only after cabinet approval.Recording the submissions, the court noted that it did not explain the reasons for the state’s failure to discharge its duty of undertaking the exercise of finalising the socio-economic study for almost five years. It was also noted that, according to an affidavit filed by the Kerala State Commission for Backward Classes, the non-furnishing of raw SECC-2011 data by the Union govt did not preclude the state govt from preparing the state list. The additional advocate general submitted that the matter had now been taken up with the Backward Classes Development Department, that a further affidavit would be filed and that the state govt would take immediate steps in the matter.Accordingly, the bench granted an additional month to decide the matter and directed the state govt to file a further affidavit setting out its decision.