LUCKNOW, Oct. 31 -- The central and state governments have filed their counter affidavits (replies) before the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on the issue of stopping caste-based rallies in Uttar Pradesh. Filing its reply, the UP government said it had issued an order on September 21,2025 with regard to banning caste-based rallies organised for political purposes in the entire state. The central government also filed its reply on Thursday in the matter. The court provided time to the petitioner for filing his rejoinder affidavit to the reply and listed the matter for further hearing on November 17. At the previous hearing on October 9, the court had asked the central and the state governments as to what measures they are adopting to stop caste-based rallies in Uttar Pradesh. A division bench of Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Rajeev Bharati passed the order on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a ban on caste-based rallies in the state. The PIL was filed by local lawyer Motilal Yadav in 2013. On July 11, 2013, the high court had stayed with immediate effect caste-based rallies throughout UP, while issuing notices to the central and state governments, the Election Commission and four major political parties -the Congress, BJP, BSP and the SP. On September 21, 2025, the then officiating chief secretary Deepak Kumar issued a 10-point directive to district magistrates and police chiefs in Uttar Pradesh, banning caste-based political rallies, prohibiting caste symbols on vehicles and signboards, and even mandating the removal of caste references from police records like FIRs and arrest memos. The directive's roots traced back to a September 16 ruling by a single-judge bench of the Allahabad high court, led by Justice Vinod Diwakar. While hearing a criminal case, the court expressed dismay over the routine mention of accused individuals' castes in police documents. HTC...