A fresh survey to identify and document Devadasi women began across 15 districts of Karnataka on Monday, but the exercise has already run into technical and awareness-related hurdles. The survey is being carried out under the newly passed Karnataka Devadasi (Prevention, Prohibition, Relief and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2025, which aims to strengthen rehabilitation measures for women trapped in the centuries-old system of ritual sexual exploitation.
Officials are using two mobile applications to collect data, but server problems, patchy internet connectivity and delays in receiving OTPs have disrupted registration in several taluks. Documentation issues have further slowed the process, with some officials demanding family tree records from Devadasi women—a requirement not specified in the bill.
“In some taluks, women are simply self-declaring, while in others they are asked for additional documents. There is no consistency yet,” said Saroja Ashok of Sneha Trust, an NGO working in Ballari. Perhaps more significantly, many women remain unaware of the survey altogether, despite the government’s push. On the opening days, participation at taluk offices was abysmally low.
“On the first day, only three women came forward for self-declaration and four on the second day,” said Bhagya Lakshmi, Director of Sakshi Trust in Hosapete, which is conducting outreach sessions to encourage participation.
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The 2025 Devadasi Bill, passed in August, defines “Devadasi” more clearly to identify genuine beneficiaries and extend social, educational and economic support. Its key provisions are children born to Devadasi women can now inherit property from both parents, even if the father’s name is not declared, such children are no longer required to disclose their father’s name while applying for education, healthcare or identity documents; and they will have the right to establish paternity through DNA or other biochemical tests.
The law also mandates the creation of Taluk Committees for Vigilance and Implementation, chaired by the Tahsildar and including members of the Devadasi community. However, activists point out that many committees have yet to convene, leaving ground-level workers unsure about survey procedures.
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“Though outlawed for decades—the Madras Devadasis (Prevention of Dedication) Act, 1947, and the Karnataka Devadasis (Prohibition of Dedication) Act, 1982 formally banned the practice—thousands of women continue to be forced into the Devadasi system under the guise of tradition,” admitted an official of Karnataka government.
The last official survey, conducted in 2008, identified 46,660 Devadasi women, though activists argued that many were excluded, leaving them ineligible for welfare schemes. In 2022, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) estimated that over 70,000 women in Karnataka remain affected by the practice and demanded stronger action plans from state governments.
Social activist Sitavva Joddati, a Padma Shri awardee who has spent decades fighting the practice, welcomed the re-survey but stressed the need for wider awareness. “There is an urgent need for greater outreach efforts to ensure all affected women are included in the process,” she said. The Women and Child Development Department is required to complete the survey and submit a district-wise report by October 24, a deadline activists warn will be difficult to meet without stronger mobilisation and smoother execution.
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