Centre On Why Scheduled Castes' List Excludes Dalit Christians, Muslims

Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims cannot claim benefits which Scheduled Castes are entitled to, as historical data shows no backwardness or oppression was ever faced by them, said the Centre.

The Centre has defended the exclusion of Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims from the list of Scheduled Castes, saying historical data shows no backwardness or oppression was ever faced by them.

Contending that Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims cannot claim benefits which Scheduled Castes are entitled to, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in an affidavit in the Supreme Court said the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order of 1950 does not suffer from any unconstitutionality.

The affidavit was filed in response to a plea of NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) seeking extension of reservation and other benefits to people from Dalit communities who converted to Islam and Christianity.

The ministry also submitted that the identification of Scheduled Castes is centred around a specific social stigma that is limited to the communities identified in the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950.