Records of census not open to inspection of admissible in evidence
Section 15 of the Census Act, 1948 deals with records of census not open to inspection of admissible in evidence. No person shall have a right to inspect any book, register or record made by a census-officer in the discharge of his duty as such, or any schedule delivered under section 10 and notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (1 of 1872), no entry in any such book, registe The Act came into force on 03 Sep 1948.
No person shall have a right to inspect any book, register or record made by a census-officer in the discharge of his duty as such, or any schedule delivered under section 10 and notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (1 of 1872), no entry in any such book, register, record or schedule shall be admissible as evidence in any civil proceeding whatsoever or in any criminal proceeding other than a prosecution under this Act or any other law for any act or omission which constitutes an offence under this Act.
Section 15, The Census Act, 1948 (Act 37 of 1948).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
This section refers to
Referred to by 1
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
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P.C. Wadhwa v. Central Information Commission & Ors.
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
DATE VERIFIED Final Order 29.11.2010 (order-1.pdf; body 'Date of Decision: 29.11.2010' / '29th November, 2010' matches index): Appellant sought census religion data of public figures under RTI. DB holds Census Act s.15 confidentiality is not inconsistent with RTI s.8(1)(j); both read harmoniously so RTI s.22 override does not operate; quest for religion disclosed to census authorities is not public interest and remains barred.
On this section: s.15 — census books/registers/schedules are closed to inspection and barred as evidence (save Act prosecutions); disclosure of individual census returns remains statutorily confidential even against RTI demand.
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Questions about Section 15
What have the courts held on Section 15 of the Census Act?
P.C. Wadhwa v. Central Information Commission & Ors. (29 Nov 2010) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: s.15 — census books/registers/schedules are closed to inspection and barred as evidence (save Act prosecutions); disclosure of individual census returns remains statutorily confidential even against RTI demand.
How do I find court cases under Section 15 of the Census Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Census Act 1948 15, section 15 Census Act 1948, section 15 of the Census Act. People searching for it also type census act 15 a and census act section 15a. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with P.C. Wadhwa v. Central Information Commission & Ors. (29 Nov 2010).
What should I read with Section 15 of the Census Act, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 10 (Occupier or manager to fill up schedule), so none of them can safely be read on its own. 1 other provision in this corpus refers back to it.
When did Section 15 of the Census Act come into force?
Section 15 of the Census Act, cited as Census Act 1948 15, came into force on 03 Sep 1948, having been enacted on 03 Sep 1948. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 7B. Payment of compensation453 words
- 11. Penalties427 words
- 7F. Release of premises from requisition286 words
- 18. Power to make rules269 words
- 6. Discharge of duties of census-officers in certain cases261 words
- 10. Occupier or manager to fill up schedule215 words
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 16 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.