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Special prayer sought for Supreme Court Hearing on 19 July 2007 |
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Written by Correspondent
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Thursday, 19 July 2007 |
 New Delhi: July 19, 2007 is what India's 22 million Dalit Christians have been longing for the restoration of their birth rights Scheduled Caste status which was taken away by Presidential Order 1950.
All India Christian Council has urged everyone to uphold this day in all personal, family and church prayers that 57 years of fundamental denial to Indian Dalit Christians and Muslims will be historically restored.
Dalits are at the receiving end in all sorts of discrimination. Religious discriminations, social discriminations, educational discriminations and economic discriminations are a few to name.
They also suffer in all walks of life in all religions. Yet special provision for the members of Scheduled Caste and Tribe communities was provided by then the British Indian Government irrespective of all religions they may belong.
Indian independent in 1947 went further to discriminate the discriminated Indian Dalits on the basis of religions they belong to, under the provision of Presidential Order 1950, saying, "Only those belonging to the Hindu community will be the members of Scheduled Caste," as per as Article 341 Para 3 of Indian Constitution. This ordinance denied Sikh members of Scheduled Caste till 1956 and Buddhists till 1990.
Repeated assurances have been given by government after government and recommended by commission after commission. Yet being the minority religions, Scheduled Caste Christians and Muslims remain denied of their birthrights till today.
The National Commission on Minority Religion and Linguistic known as the Misra Commission was set up in 2005 to study the socio-economic and educational condition of Scheduled Caste members converted to other religions different from Hinduism. On its recommendation, the Supreme Court is waiting to give its verdict on Dalit Christians and Muslim Reservation.
The Misra Commission has said Scheduled Caste members converted to other religions different from Hinduism still suffer socio-economic and educational backwardness even after their conversion and recommended that they need special provisions like any other Scheduled Caste members.
The Misra Commission's report is like a "ray of hope finally started dawning but Asha Das, a member of the Commission, wants to turn it into darkness forever."
Please remember, what Dalit Christians want is not reservation but the Scheduled Caste status, which was snatched away by Presidential Order 1950. Please uphold this important matter so that justice may be granted this time.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 25 November 2009 )
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