With the Supreme Court awaiting the Union government’s present position on including Dalit Christians as members of Scheduled Castes (SCs), 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 who converted to Islam or Christianity.
This position goes against the most recent stand taken by the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) before the top court in a 2011 affidavit, when it recommended providing reservation to Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims, provided they fulfil two criteria: If they continue to practice their traditions and customs as they did prior to conversion; and if they continue to face social disabilities due to untouchability.
And while the NCSC acknowledged the lack of an independent study into the status of such converts, it had recommended that until such a study is completed, Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims be included in the SC category.
