The Supreme Court on Monday said schools in the country could not compel students to disclose their caste status at the time of admission. Any disclosure of his/her caste shall be optional or should be left to the discretion of the student, a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan said. The Bench, however, dismissed a PIL filed by an 81-year-old freedom fighter, Salemvelu Gandhi, from Tamil Nadu who sought a complete ban on “caste disclosure” forms circulated by schools to students during admissions.

The SC, while appreciating the “laudable objective” of the petitioner, said it could not pass any direction on the issue as it would create problems for those who wanted to avail free scholarships and other benefits.