The Scheduled Castes, late colonial constitutional reform and the ghost of the ‘Gait Circular’

The Gait Circular, issued as part of the preparations for the Census of India in 1911, was an enquiry into the possibility of determining the numbers belonging to caste groups who were not considered ‘proper’ Hindus. It caused a commotion and, following widespread protests, it was abruptly withdrawn. However, it left a deep and enduring apprehension in the administration about attempts to categorise caste groups according to their degree of adherence to Hindu social norms or religious practices. Representatives of potentially affected caste groups also became vigilant about any moves the colonial power was perceived to be making towards the use of ‘untouchability’ as a determining factor in the schema of official classification. The reform enquiries of the late 1920s and 1930s revived concerns about the categorisation of individual caste groups. The authorities went to great lengths to present proposals exclusively as a matter of administrative convenience intended to assist franchise reform and electoral organisation. They denied any recourse to Hinduism as the basis for decisions about the classification of castes. However, caste groups refused to accept the terms under which the reforms were presented and suspected that the ghost of Gait was haunting the proceedings. They challenged the narrative being deployed by government and insisted that untouchability was being used once again as a criterion for decisions.