Isn't there value in significant figures in the reporting of raw data for indicating the precision of the measuring instrument. In other words,
If a student reported measurements of a dimension of an object as
1.2 cm
Vs.
1.200 cm
I hope something meaningfully different is being conveyed about the instrument they used to obtain the datum in the two different cases. Something meaningful that is not conveyed by the statement that the Hindu-Arabic conventions imply equality.
Note: the above is referring to a datum and not a calculated result, nor propagation of uncertainty through a calculation.