Dalit Christians to UPA chairperson: Respond to court on SC status

On Monday, a Christian delegation met with UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, to seek the government's swift response in extending Scheduled Caste status to Christians of Dalit origin.

The delegation, represented by the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) and the National Council of Dalit Christians (NCDC), briefed about the recent developments and called for the government's response to the writ petition pending in the Supreme Court.

Franklin Caesar, who filed the writ petition in the Supreme Court in 2004, expressed the Church's deep anguish over the continuous delay of the government despite research and studies clearly advocating to delink the Scheduled Caste status from religion.

Submitting a memorandum, the Dalit Christian activist called for positive intervention from the UPA chairperson.

"The government dragging the issue is affecting millions of Dalit Christians who are clearly made victims of religious apartheid. Even within the Church, they face discrimination. There cannot be more delay in this matter. The government only needs to respond to the writ petition," said Caesar, who is also the convener of the National Council of Dalit Christians.

Adding to it, Fr Cosmon Arokiaraj, secretary of the CBCI Commission for SC/BC, said "the Union Government of India gave assurance to the Supreme Court in January 2008 that it would give a reply within eight weeks. Three years have elapsed and till date no reply has been given. Hence, there is a strong feeling among Dalit Christians and Muslims that UPA itself is not willing to reply to the Supreme Court."

Even though both Muslim and Christian communities have been continuously with the Congress in all its ups and downs, he said, Christians are now getting disillusioned by the repeated failed promises.

Samuel Jeyakumar, secretary of the NCCI Commission for Policy, Governance and Public Witness, observed the government's previous acceptance of the socio-economic backwardness in the 1996 Bill which spoke for equal status of all Dalits.

Dalit Christians and Muslims are demanding an amendment to the 1950 Presidential Order which made reservations for education and employment available to low caste Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists. Dalits who convert to Christianity lose their benefits.

It has been over four years since the government-appointed Ranganath Misra Commission recommended SC status to all Dalits irrespective of religion.

While the government is buying more time to respond to the court, the upset Church is intensifying its lobbying and holding of peaceful protests to get justice for the deprived Dalit communities.

The matter will be again heard by the court before the end of 2011. If the 1950 Order is amended, at least 17 million Dalit Christians will benefit from the government's various socio-economic programmes.