J. Ranganath Misra Commission report to allow Dalit Christians avail SC quota benefits written “within four corners of a room”, Centre to apex court
2 years, 3 months ago

J. Ranganath Misra Commission report to allow Dalit Christians avail SC quota benefits written “within four corners of a room”, Centre to apex court

The Hindu  

The Centre in the Supreme Court on December 7 declared that the 2007 report of the Justice Ranganath Misra Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities, which recommended that Dalits who converted to Islam and Christianity to escape caste oppression in the Hindu religion should be permitted to avail of Scheduled Caste reservation benefits in government jobs and educational institutions, was “flawed” and composed within the “four walls of a room”. The findings of the Ranganath Misra Commission have not been accepted by the government,” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, for the government, submitted before a three-judge Bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul. The inclusion of a group in the SC list under Clause 3 of the Constitution Order, 1950 would be required to show “extreme social, educational and economic backwardness arising out of traditional practice of untouchability”. Explained | The criterion for SC status The Bench said it would examine the question whether the court should wait for the Balakrishnan Commission report or go ahead and hear a series of petitions seeking SC quota benefits for Dalit converts to other religions, primarily Christianity.

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History of this topic

SC rules against religious conversion for quota benefits
3 months, 3 weeks ago

SC rules against religious conversion for quota benefits

Deccan Chronicle  

New Delhi: In a significant verdict, the Supreme Court has said religious conversions undertaken solely to avail reservation benefits without genuine belief amounted to a “fraud on the Constitution”. Justices Pankaj Mithal and R Mahadevan passed the verdict on November 26 in a case filed by one C Selvarani and upheld a Madras High Court decision of January 24 denying …

Religious conversion without actual belief to gain employment is against reservation policy and a fraud on Constitution: SC verdict
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Religious conversion without actual belief to gain employment is against reservation policy and a fraud on Constitution: SC verdict

The Hindu  

The Supreme Court has in a judgment held that religious conversion without any actual belief, largely intended to procure quota benefits, defeats the social ethos of the reservation policy and amounts to a fraud on the Constitution. However, if the purpose of conversion is largely to derive the benefits of reservation but not with any actual belief on the other …

Religious Conversion Only To Avail Reservation Benefits Without Actual Belief Impermissible, Fraud On Constitution: Supreme Court
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Religious Conversion Only To Avail Reservation Benefits Without Actual Belief Impermissible, Fraud On Constitution: Supreme Court

Live Law  

The Supreme Court upheld a Madras High Court decision denying a Scheduled Caste certificate to a woman born as a Christian who claimed to be Hindu while applying for an Upper Division Clerk job in Puducherry. The Court ruled that religious conversion undertaken solely to access reservation benefits, without genuine belief in the adopted religion, undermines the fundamental. The Court …

Conversion for benefits is fraud on Constitution: SC
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Conversion for benefits is fraud on Constitution: SC

Hindustan Times  

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that religious conversions motivated solely by the prospect of availing certain benefits, such as reservations in employment, are impermissible, calling such actions a “fraud on the Constitution”. The judgment came as the bench upheld a ruling by the Madras high court denying a Scheduled Caste community certificate to a woman who was born a …

Panel for SC status to all Dalit converts racing against time as deadline nears
7 months ago

Panel for SC status to all Dalit converts racing against time as deadline nears

The Hindu  

The Commission of Inquiry set up by the Centre to look into the possibility of granting Scheduled Caste status to Dalit Christians and Muslims is racing against time to submit its report as its two-year term is set to expire in October 2024. “Sometimes, the field visits may also get delayed or rescheduled,” one of the sources added, explaining why …

Dalit Christians — exclusion by society, church, state
1 year, 7 months ago

Dalit Christians — exclusion by society, church, state

The Hindu  

Last year, the Union Government constituted a commission, headed by the former Chief Justice of India, K.G. Intersectional burdens The ‘Theory of Intersectionality’ shows the bigger picture of the Dalit Christian conundrum as it allows an understanding of caste with religion and a composite understanding of Dalit Christians as ‘Dalits’ and as a ‘religious minority group’. This description helps form …

'Social Stigma May Continue Even After Conversion' : Supreme Court Judge Says While Hearing Plea To Extend Reservation To Converted Dalits
1 year, 11 months ago

'Social Stigma May Continue Even After Conversion' : Supreme Court Judge Says While Hearing Plea To Extend Reservation To Converted Dalits

Live Law  

The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard a bunch of petitions which seek the extension of reservation benefits available to the Scheduled Caste community to Dalits who have converted to Christianity and Islam. Social stigma at ground level When Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj, appearing for the Union Government, submitted that the Ranganath Misra Commission had not gone into all the …

Quotas for Dalit Muslims, Christians: SC wonders if it can rely on RM panel report
1 year, 11 months ago

Quotas for Dalit Muslims, Christians: SC wonders if it can rely on RM panel report

Deccan Chronicle  

New Delhi: What is the effect of the report of a Commission of Inquiry that has been rejected or not accepted by the government and whether the empirical data which formed the basis of the report can be looked at while determining a constitutional issue, the Supreme Court wondered on Wednesday while considering the question of quotas for Dalit Muslims …

AP: BJP opposes SC status for Dalit Christians, says real' Dalits will lose out
1 year, 11 months ago

AP: BJP opposes SC status for Dalit Christians, says real' Dalits will lose out

Deccan Chronicle  

Vijayawada: A delegation of leaders from state BJP called on Governor S. Abdul Nazeer at Raj Bhavan here on Monday and sought his intervention in the resolution passed by the AP Assembly to provide SC reservation to Dalit Christians. The BJP leaders led by state party president Somu Veerraju appealed to the governor to get the state government to annul …

RSS outfits oppose SC status to Dalit converts, to give report to Balakrishnan Commission
2 years ago

RSS outfits oppose SC status to Dalit converts, to give report to Balakrishnan Commission

The Hindu  

Kicking-off a two-day conclave on “Conversion and Reservation” on Saturday, the Vishwa Samvad Kendra, an outfit linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, said that it intends to submit a report to the Justice K.G. “We should make it clear through this conclave that under no circumstances are we in favour of providing reservation for Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims,” said …

Budget 2023 | Panel to examine Scheduled Caste status for Dalit converts allocated ₹3.05 crore
2 years, 1 month ago

Budget 2023 | Panel to examine Scheduled Caste status for Dalit converts allocated ₹3.05 crore

The Hindu  

After having to make do with funds from the Social Justice Ministry’s contingency Budget for the first four months of its functioning, the Commission of Inquiry to examine whether SC status can be given to Dalit Christians and Muslims has been allocated an amount of ₹3.05 crore in this year’s Budget. Under pressure from the Supreme Court of India to …

SC Status For Converted Dalits : Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To Expert Panel Formed By Centre
2 years, 1 month ago

SC Status For Converted Dalits : Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To Expert Panel Formed By Centre

Live Law  

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a Writ Petition that was filed challenging the Central Government’s decision taken in October 2022 to set up a panel to examine Schedule Caste status for dalits who converted to Christianity or Islam.It was in October 2022 that the Centre constituted the Commission to study the issue. The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a …

Panel to look into SC status for Dalit converts challenged in Supreme Court
2 years, 2 months ago

Panel to look into SC status for Dalit converts challenged in Supreme Court

The Hindu  

A writ petition has now been filed in the Supreme Court of India, challenging the formation of a three-member Commission of Inquiry to examine whether it would be possible to accord Scheduled Caste status to Dalits who have over the years converted to Christianity or Islam. Praying that the functioning of the Commission be stayed and the notification forming it …

In affidavit in SC, Centre defends exclusion of Dalit Christians, Dalit Muslims from scheduled castes' list
2 years, 4 months ago

In affidavit in SC, Centre defends exclusion of Dalit Christians, Dalit Muslims from scheduled castes' list

Firstpost  

The affidavit was filed in response to a plea of NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation seeking an extension of reservation and other benefits to people from Dalit communities who converted to Islam and Christianity New Delhi: The Centre has defended the exclusion of Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims from the list of scheduled castes, saying historical data shows no …

Centre alludes to ‘foreign origins’ in its affidavit on Dalit Christians, Dalit Muslims
2 years, 4 months ago

Centre alludes to ‘foreign origins’ in its affidavit on Dalit Christians, Dalit Muslims

The Hindu  

The affidavit filed by the Union government before the Supreme Court Bench hearing the case for the inclusion of Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims on the list of Scheduled Castes contradicts itself at several junctures, leading to a lack of clarity on its arguments defending the current criteria for determining which communities can be classified as Scheduled Castes. Among the …

Panel formed on SC status for Dalit Christians, Dalit Muslims: Centre
2 years, 5 months ago

Panel formed on SC status for Dalit Christians, Dalit Muslims: Centre

The Hindu  

The Union government has filed a fresh affidavit before the Supreme Court, through the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, stating its current position on the inclusion of Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims in the Scheduled Castes list and on the petitions challenging the constitutionality of Para 3 of the Constitution Order, 1950, which allows only members of Hinduism, Sikhism …

Should Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians be given SC status?
2 years, 5 months ago

Should Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians be given SC status?

The Hindu  

Recently, the Union government formed a three-member Commission of Inquiry headed by former Chief Justice of India, Justice K.G. Professor Thorat, considering that besides caste discrimination, converts might also face other forms of discrimination because of internal hierarchies within the new religion, what kinds of discrimination should the Justice K.G. Yes, the ‘untouchables’ who converted to Buddhism and the ‘untouchables’ …

Status beyond faith: The Hindu Editorial on Scheduled Caste status post conversion
2 years, 5 months ago

Status beyond faith: The Hindu Editorial on Scheduled Caste status post conversion

The Hindu  

The Centre has appointed a three-member Commission to examine the sensitive issue of extending Scheduled Caste status to all those who have historically suffered discrimination and untouchability, regardless of the religion they now profess. In 1985, the Supreme Court agreed that historical discrimination may continue even after members of the SCs convert to other religions, but did not decide in …

Centre forms panel to vet giving SC status to \'SC\' religious converts
2 years, 5 months ago

Centre forms panel to vet giving SC status to \'SC\' religious converts

Deccan Chronicle  

NEW DELHI: The Centre has appointed a commission headed by former CJI K.G. Balakrishnan to examine the matter of giving Scheduled Caste status to new people who claim to historically have belonged to the SCs, but have converted to a religion other than those mentioned in the Presidential orders. The three-member team also includes retired IAS officer Dr Ravinder Kumar …

Panel to study SC status of Dalits post conversion
2 years, 5 months ago

Panel to study SC status of Dalits post conversion

The Hindu  

The Union government has now formed a three-member Commission of Inquiry headed by former Chief Justice of India, Justice K.G. The three-member commission will also comprise Professor Sushma Yadav, member, UGC, and retired IAS officer Ravinder Kumar Jain, and has been given a two-year deadline to submit a report on the issue — starting from the day Justice Balakrishnan takes …

Scheduled Caste Status For Converted Dalits : Centre Constitutes Commission To Examine The Issue
2 years, 5 months ago

Scheduled Caste Status For Converted Dalits : Centre Constitutes Commission To Examine The Issue

Live Law  

Through a notification dated 6th October 2022, the Centre has appointed a Commission headed by former Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan to examine the matter of according Scheduled Caste status to new persons who claim to have historically belonged to the Scheduled Castes, but have converted to a religion other than those mentioned in the Presidential Orders under Article …

Explained | The criterion for SC status
2 years, 5 months ago

Explained | The criterion for SC status

The Hindu  

The story so far: The Supreme Court of India has sought the most recent position of the Union government on a batch of petitions challenging the Constitution Order of 1950, which allows only members of Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist religions to be recognised as SCs. On the other hand, the Union government in 2019 rejected the possibility of including Dalit …

Dalit Christians, Dalit Muslims can’t be compared to Buddhist converts, says Centre’s 2019 affidavit
2 years, 5 months ago

Dalit Christians, Dalit Muslims can’t be compared to Buddhist converts, says Centre’s 2019 affidavit

The Hindu  

With the Supreme Court awaiting the Union government’s present position on including Dalit Christians as members of Scheduled Castes, the Narendra Modi government’s latest standing on this aspect has been to reject any such proposition, according to an affidavit filed by the government in November 2019, which also said Dalits who converted to Buddhism could not be compared to those …

Reservations to Dalit Christians and Muslims was a ‘Communal Award’ given by Sonia Gandhi for defeating Vajpayee: Why BJP has to resist it
2 years, 6 months ago

Reservations to Dalit Christians and Muslims was a ‘Communal Award’ given by Sonia Gandhi for defeating Vajpayee: Why BJP has to resist it

Op India  

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court of India issued a notice to the Union Government, asking for their response in a plea that said those Dalit Hindus who had converted to Christianity or Islam should be given the same reservation benefits as extended to the Scheduled Caste category. In the C.M Arumugam v S. Rajgopal and others, the court held that …

Ranganath Mishra Commission: When BJP said that converts to Islam or Christianity cannot get SC status benefits
2 years, 6 months ago

Ranganath Mishra Commission: When BJP said that converts to Islam or Christianity cannot get SC status benefits

Op India  

On August 30, the Supreme Court of India sought a response from the central government to a plea that the Dalits who have converted to Islam and Christianity from Hinduism should be eligible for the same quota benefits that are reserved for Scheduled Castes. It is noteworthy that then-Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said in Rajya Sabha last …

SC Reservation For Converted Dalits : Supreme Court Asks Centre To Explain Its Stand Within 3 Weeks
2 years, 6 months ago

SC Reservation For Converted Dalits : Supreme Court Asks Centre To Explain Its Stand Within 3 Weeks

Live Law  

The Supreme Court, on Tuesday, asked Centre to provide its current stand on the issue of extending the benefit of reservation available to the Scheduled Caste community to Dalits who have converted to other faiths. A 2007 report submitted by National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities, under the chairpersonship of retired CJI Ranganath Misra had found merit for granting …

Dalit Christians hold Black Day seeking SC status
2 years, 7 months ago

Dalit Christians hold Black Day seeking SC status

Deccan Chronicle  

VIJAYAWADA: Dalit Christians in Andhra Pradesh observed Wednesday as Black Day as part of their nationwide protest demanding re-recognition of Dalit Christians as members of the scheduled castes in India. Vijayawada Catholic Diocese Most Reverend Monsignor Father Muvvala Prasad recalled that on August 10, 1950, the then union government issued a President's Order cancelling the SC status of Dalit Christians …

RSS-linked body calls for rethink on quotas for converted STs
2 years, 9 months ago

RSS-linked body calls for rethink on quotas for converted STs

Hindustan Times  

New Delhi: The Janajati Surkasha Manch, a tribal welfare organisation linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, wants the Union government to revisit the provisions of caste-based quotas for those members of Scheduled Tribes who have converted other religions from Hinduism. “Article 341 says persons who have converted from Hinduism to other religions will not be treated as Schedule Caste members, …

The ground reality of Dalits who convert to Christianity to ‘get respect’
3 years, 8 months ago

The ground reality of Dalits who convert to Christianity to ‘get respect’

Op India  

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao in a media interaction claimed that Dalits convert to Christianity to get the respect that they were denied. “It is really caste atrocity going on silently in the Catholic Church” M. Mary John, the president of the Dalit Christian Liberation Movement and the National Council of Dalit Christians said, “This almost exclusion of Dalit …

Dalits Who Convert to Islam or Christianity Won't Get Quota, Says Law Minister in Rajya Sabha
4 years, 1 month ago

Dalits Who Convert to Islam or Christianity Won't Get Quota, Says Law Minister in Rajya Sabha

News 18  

New Delhi: Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in response to a question in Rajya Sabha said that Dalit converting to Islam or Christianity cannot claim reservation benefits and it will also deprive the person the eligibility to contest parliamentary or Assembly election from constituencies reserved for Scheduled Castes. Prasad added that Para 3 of the Constitution Order outlines that no …

Dalit converting to Islam or Christianity won't get quota: Law Minister
4 years, 1 month ago

Dalit converting to Islam or Christianity won't get quota: Law Minister

India TV News  

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in response to a question in Rajya Sabha said that Dalit converting to Islam or Christianity cannot claim reservation benefits and it will also deprive the person the eligibility to contest parliamentary or Assembly election from constituencies reserved for Scheduled Castes. Prasad added that Para 3 of the Constitution Order outlines that no person who …

Why 'Dalit Christians' shouldn't receive benefits meant for SC communities
4 years, 3 months ago

Why 'Dalit Christians' shouldn't receive benefits meant for SC communities

Op India  

Over the last few years, there have been several calls for the inclusion of ‘Dalit Christians’ in the reservation system under the categories of ‘SC/ST’ and ‘OBC’. Though these demands for reservations aren’t endorsed by most churches due to their claims of Christian society not having a caste system, several activists from the Christian community have raised demands for the …

70-year wait for Dalit Christians, Muslims on SC verdict over caste status
4 years, 7 months ago

70-year wait for Dalit Christians, Muslims on SC verdict over caste status

The Hindu  

Five days before India celebrates her 73rd anniversary of Independence, Dalit Christians and Muslims will mark a grimmer anniversary of the date when the Presidential Order was issued on August 10, 1950. I agree that Christianity does not preach caste, but it is Christians who still practice caste and continue to oppress and discriminate those from Dalit communities.” Born into …

SC Issues Notice On Plea For Extending Scheduled Caste Status To Dalit Christians [Read Petition]
5 years, 2 months ago

SC Issues Notice On Plea For Extending Scheduled Caste Status To Dalit Christians [Read Petition]

Live Law  

The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice on a petition filed by National Council of Dalit Christians seeking a direction to grant Scheduled Castes status to Dalit Christians. This paragraph says that "Notwithstanding anything contained in paragraph 2, no person who professes a religion different from Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism shall be deemed to be a member of a Scheduled …

'SC status to Dalit Muslims, Christians will encourage conversion'
9 years, 1 month ago

'SC status to Dalit Muslims, Christians will encourage conversion'

India TV News  

Kochi: Claiming that extending reservation in government jobs to Dalits of minority communities would encourage conversions, Union Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot today said the Centre has told the Supreme Court that it was "not agreeable to" granting them such rights. Strongly opposing recommendations of the Ranganath Mishra Commission and the Sachar Committee for reservation to Dalits of Christian and Muslim …

‘Dalit Christians neglected’
11 years, 9 months ago

‘Dalit Christians neglected’

The Hindu  

Failure of the Church to know the socio-economic status of Dalit Christians, caste discrimination and denial of right to quality education were discussed at a review committee meeting, presided over by State Minorities Commission Chairman M.Prakash, at the Collectorate here on Wednesday. One of the representatives of Dalit Christians of Tamil Nadu, A.Xavier, alleged that the Church failed to make …

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