March 18, 2010 (UCAN): Church groups in India have criticized a federal commission insisting minority educational institutions should admit 30 percent of students from their own community to enjoy constitutional privileges.

The ruling by M.S. A. Siddiqui, chairperson of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI), is a “pernicious” attempt to infringe on minority rights, says John Dayal, secretary general of the ecumenical All India Christian Council.

Dayal, who is also a member of the National Integration Council, another federal body, told UCA News today the NCMEI chairperson “should be told his job is to protect minority rights, and not otherwise.”

The Indian Constitution, promulgated in 1950, allows religious and linguistic minority groups to manage educational and cultural institutions without government interference.

However, over the decades, thousands of disputes over the minority status arose and the federal government set up the commission in 2004 to ensure governments respected minority rights.

Father Kuriala Chittattukalam, secretary of the Indian bishops’ commission for education and culture, also expressed surprise that the commission has decided against the interests of minority groups it is supposed to protect.

In his letter to the prime minister and other federal authorities on March 16, the Salesian priest pointed out that the commission’s minimum quota stipulation was arbitrary, one-sided and violated the constitution.

He also noted that the chairperson’s ruling came when the Christian and Sikh members in the commission are absent since the government has not filled their vacancies.

Father Chittattukalam noted that the constitution does not insist on the minimum quota. Christians, he pointed out, form a little over 2 percent of the country’s population and they are scattered all over India.

“Wherever they are, they have the right to preserve their religion and culture,” the Church official insisted. The priest also noted that Christian educational institutions have served all sections of society without discrimination.

Sajan George of the Global Council of Indian Christians has said that his group endorsed the Catholic bishops’ views on the matter.

According to Dayal, the minimum quota issue was first raised by a Christian member of the commission who thought that was “a good way” to get Church educational institutions to admit more poor Christians.