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 Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims deserve Scheduled Caste status as per as the provisions of the Constitution of India. The reasons why Dalits who have converted to religions other than Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism demand Scheduled Caste Status provided in the Constitution are that even after their conversion, their social status remains the same, according to Dr Shaqeel Ahmed, Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology.
Speaking to TV Janmat News Channel on 25 June 2006, the Union Minister said, “Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims are known by their ethnic names even after their conversion. They are socially, educationally and politically backward and conversion has not brought them any changes.” Appearing on the same channel, T Franklin Caesar, an All India Christian Council activist, said, “Although Sikhism and Buddhism do not practise caste, their Dalit sections are given Schedule Caste status as per the provision of the Constitution. Then what stops the government from giving SC status to original Scheduled Castes after converting to faiths other than Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism?” Caesar had filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court in 2004 challenging Paragraph 3 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders, 1950 according to which Scheduled Castes professing and converting to religions other than Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism are deprived of the benefits prescribed under the law for Schedule Castes, thus violating their fundamental rights under Art 14, Art 15 and Art 25. Incidentally the next Supreme Court hearing is scheduled to take place on 12 July 2006. Activists opposing Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh's proposal of 27 per cent OBC quota in Higher Professional Central Institutes say reservation should not be given on caste basis. The same upper caste people object to giving Scheduled Caste status to Dalit Christians saying Christianity and Muslims do not practise caste. Madhu Chandra, a human rights activist based in New Delhi, terms it as double standard by upper castes when they say no to OBC reservation on caste basis and oppose reservation to Dalit Christians because Christianity does not practise caste. He says, “Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims have every right to ask for SC status. It is their fundamental right. The Scheduled Castes list of 1950 should be amended to accommodate Dalits who have converted to faiths other than Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism.”
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