THE All India Christian Council (AICC) has termed as ‘ominous’ the statement of Attorney General G E Vahanvati and said it was deeply concerned about an indefinite delay of equal rights for Christians and Muslims of Scheduled Caste origin.
The Supreme Court was scheduled to hear the case today.
On Feb 21, the attorney general reportedly advised the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs that the government need not act ‘at this stage’ on the long-standing demand by Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims for Scheduled Caste status currently enjoyed by only Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhists adherents.
An AICC release said the Supreme Court is expected to hear a key case today when it expects the government to give its opinion on a challenge to Paragraph 3 of Article 341 of India’s Constitution (Scheduled Caste Order) 1950.
More than dozen individuals and advocates, including Dalit Christians and Muslims, have joined the case. This case has seen numerous hearings and delays ever since early 2004.
In the release, AICC’s secretary general John Dayal said: “This speaks of a debilitating indecisiveness which is born of political perfidy and bureaucratic obduracy. In short, (the government) officials need to stand for what is right. All Dalits face similar societal discrimination and deserve similar government benefits.”
AICC president Joseph D’souza said: “To be clear, we advocate the striking of religion in Article 341 as a qualification for Dalits to receive government assistance. This era of prevarication and political indecisiveness must end. Dalit Christians and Muslims must be given their rights now.”
