India’s Scheduled Caste list must be religion-neutral. Muslims, Christians are also Dalit

Ansari, Khalid Anis (2023) India’s Scheduled Caste list must be religion-neutral. Muslims, Christians are also Dalit.

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Abstract

Pasmanda” is an umbrella term encompassing Backward, Dalit, and Adivasi Muslims. While the Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Tribes, and Economically Weaker Sections categories are religion-neutral and include several Muslim groups, the Scheduled Castes category is not. After the promulgation of the Constitution of India, the President, under Article 341 (1), issued the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order 1950, listing the “castes, races, tribes” to be included in the SC category. Para 3 of the order excluded all non-Hindu groups with the proviso of four Sikh castes: the Ramdasi, Kabirpanthi, Mazhabi, and Sikligar of the Punjab region. Subsequently, the SC net was expanded through amendments, and the remaining Sikh and all Buddhist castes of Dalit origins were included in the SC list in 1956 and 1990, respectively.

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Newspaper Article

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Ansari, Khalid Anis

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