|
New Delhi: The Government has said that the
National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has recommended
the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes(SC/ST) status to
converts to Christianity.
Minister for Minority Affairs, Shri Salman Khurshid,
made the statement during the Rajya Sabha session on
Aug. 3.
Khurshid, in a written letter, apprised the Upper House
of the Parliament that “National Commission for
Minorities, under Section 9(1) of the National
Commission for Minorities Act 1992, recommended that
Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes(SC/ST) converts to
Christianity or Islam should continue to enjoy all
privileges and benefits as SCs/STs on par with the SC/ST
converts to Buddhism.”
He continued: “Further, in 1997, NCM recommended for the
outright removal of the Proviso in Constitution
(Scheduled Caste) Order, 1950 which confines the SC
status strictly to three specified religions.”
He also cited the annual report of the National
Commission for Minorities, 2006-07 that recommended,
“Christian and Muslim dalits be given the benefit of
affirmative action through reservation.”
There are about 20 million Dalit Christians in India
fighting against the deprival of their rights and
discrimination faced on grounds of religion. Their
social, economic and educational benefits have been
dismantled due to their conversion to Christianity.
Today, the Supreme Court was to respond to a Public
Interest Litigation filed by an NGO and Franklin Caesar,
a Dalit activist based in New Delhi.
Caesar told Christian Today that the court adjourned the
hearing for after eight weeks. He was very disappointed
that in spite of substantial reasons to grant the SC
status to Christians, the court and the government is
delaying the case.
“The letter of Khurshid surely is a positive sign that
the government wants to render SC status. But, it is
being delayed due to fear of Opposition and various
other reasons, the government is unable to disclose,”
Caesar, who is also the coordinator of National Council
of Dalit Christians, said.
“The Congress govt in its 1996 manifesto had promised to
extend the benefits to Christians. They further proposed
a bill in the government. The Cabinet also discussed
this in 2008. But, none have taken any concrete steps to
bring justice,” he rues.
The National Commission for Minorities has clearly stood
positive on the side of Dalit Christians. In its report,
last year, it said, “There is a strong case for
according Scheduled Caste status to Dalit Muslims and
Christians.”
The National Commission for Religious and Linguistic
Minorities, headed by Supreme Court Chief Justice
Ranganath Misra (Retd), also have maintained that Dalit
Christians and Dalit Muslims be included in the reserved
category.
But sadly, since last year, the Supreme Court of India
has repeatedly delayed the hearing on lawsuits by Dalit
Christians and Muslims requesting restoration of full
Constitutional rights.
If finally the court acts judiciously, fifty-nine year
wait of Dalit Christians would come to an end.
|
