Ex-Supreme Court Judge Led Panel Seeks Data from States on Post-2011 Demographic Shifts
The High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes (HLCDC), chaired by a retired Supreme Court judge, is preparing to send detailed questionnaires to Chief Secretaries of all states. The aim is to gather information on population changes and the growth of settlements since the 2011 Census, as per a government source.
“We will compare the 2011 Census data with the present scenario to understand the scale of change and will also visit those areas. The questions pertain to changes post 2011 Census,” the source said.
The next Census, the Population Census 2027, is being conducted after a 16-year gap. The first phase, the House Listing and Housing Operations (HLO), is currently underway across the country and is expected to conclude on September 30 this year. The final phase, Population Enumeration, is set for completion on March 1, 2027. The HLO will provide a preliminary estimate of settlements and population in enumeration blocks.
The panel will also release an email address for public suggestions and feedback.
In a related move, the committee will request the Election Commission of India (ECI) to provide details of individuals excluded from voter rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, along with the reasons for exclusion. These details, the source said, will help the panel estimate the number of “illegal migrants” in the country.
The SIR has been completed in 13 states and Union Territories so far. This document-based revision process has faced criticism for placing the burden of proof on electors. Data shows that 6.5 crore names—approximately 11% of the total electorate—were deleted from rolls across states, where the combined electorate stood at 58.88 crore before the SIR began.
On June 25, the committee met Home Minister Amit Shah and briefed him on its plan to visit states and consult with various Union Ministries to gather ground-level insights. In a July 1 statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs said Shah directed Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan to extend full support to the committee and urged the panel to submit its recommendations at the earliest.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi first announced the “High-powered Demography Mission” during his Independence Day address on August 15, 2025. The Ministry constituted the committee on May 26 to study demographic changes arising from illegal immigration and other unusual factors, and to suggest measures to address these changes.
The Ministry’s notification stated that the panel will also recommend “a well-organised and permanent operational system for the legal, fair and time-bound identification, detention, and deportation of illegal immigrants already residing in the country.” It noted that existing institutional frameworks are not equipped to handle coordinated, evidence-based responses to such demographic shifts.
The panel is headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Prakash Prabhakar Navlekar (retd). Members include Census Commissioner Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, retired IAS officer Durga Shanker Mishra, retired IPS officer Balaji Srivastava, and Shamika Ravi of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council. The Joint Secretary (Foreigners-I) in the Ministry serves as Member Secretary.
