The Constitution mandates that any person professing a religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism cannot be considered a member of the Scheduled Caste. – NCSC Chairman Preetha Nair
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) is strongly against granting Scheduled Caste (SC) status to Dalits who have converted to Islam and Christianity, said Kishor Makwana, the commission’s chairman.
Speaking to this newspaper, Makwana said the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 under Article 341 mandates that any person professing a religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism cannot be considered a member of the Scheduled Caste.
A presidential order of 1950 says only Dalits from the Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhist communities can be considered a member of the SC list.
The panel head’s assertion comes a day after the Centre granted a one-year extension to the Commission of Inquiry to examine if the SC status can be granted to all Dalit converts. The commission headed by former CJI K.G. Balakrishnan was set up in October 2022 to consider all aspects of the possible grant of SC status to “new persons, who claim to historically have belonged to SCs but have converted to religion other than those mentioned in the presidential orders issued from time to time under Article 341 of the Constitution”. The NCSC was mandated to submit the report by October 10 this year.
The commission has been engaging with stakeholders, including sociologists, historians, and representatives from affected communities, to better understand the nuances of caste identity in the context of religious conversion, officials said.
However, Makwana said the reservation system is caste-based and is based on untouchability faced by backward castes. “The converted people are no longer Hindus, then according to the interpretation given in the Constitution, the question of their being a Scheduled Caste ends,” he said.
It is against the basic spirit of the Constitution, said Makwana. “Giving the SC tag to Dalit converts will also promote conversion. It will be a great injustice to the people of the SC community,” he added.
If the converts get the SC status, the Pune agreement made in the interest of the SC community by the tireless efforts of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar will also have no value, he said. “This will be a betrayal of Ambedkar and the entire SC community,” he said..
While the ruling BJP has been opposed to giving SC status to Dalit converts to Islam and Christianity, several Dalit groups have been demanding the SC status to the Dalit converts. However, activists say that while the previous governments have instituted several committees, no action has been taken so far. – The New Indian Express, 4 November 2024
› Preetha Nair is a Senior Assistant Editor at New Indian Express.
See Also
- Plea of ‘reservation for Dalit Christians’ is a dangerous and divisive move – Seshadri Chari
- How Casteless Muslims and Christians Obtain Benefits Meant for Caste Hindus – Vigil Review
Filed under: india | Tagged: caste-based reservations, dalit christians, hindu caste system, hindu dalits, scheduled caste status |
