New Delhi: The Supreme Court has refused to issue directions to stop the ongoing caste census exercise in Bihar while agreeing to hear the petitions challenging the move on August 18.The court also turned down the plea of one of the petitioners who requested the court at least to issue a direction to the state government not to publish the details of the survey until their petitions are heard.In response, Justice Sanjiv Khanna – one of the judges on the bench hearing the case – said such directions cannot be issued as it would only mean an indirect stay without hearing the other side – which is the Bihar government.“It will be without any application of mind. I don’t want to do that. On August 18, we will hear all of you and all aspects”, Justice Khanna told the petitioners, according to the news agency PTI.The petitioners moved the top court against the Patna high court’s August 1 verdict, which gave a go-ahead to the Bihar government to conduct the caste census. The matter first came up before the apex court on August 7 when it had also refused to stay Patna high court’s directions.The second phase of the exercise is currently underway.Meanwhile, the petitioners contend that the Bihar government is not authorised to conduct a caste census as it violates the constitutional mandate, and only the Union government is empowered to conduct a census.The Nitish Kumar government launched a caste census in Bihar in January this year, stating that detailed information on the socio-economic conditions of the people in the state would help create better government policy to aid disadvantaged groups. The entire exercise was supposed to have been completed by May. However, the legal challenges meant the government was unable to complete the exercise.The caste census has become a major political concern in recent months, with opposition parties exerting pressure on the Union government to do the exercise on a national level.