Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 9: Jammu and Kashmir Dalit Christian Samaj Dal demanded Schedule Caste status to Dalit Christians of (SC) origin, as they are denied SC status by the constitution ( SC) order 1950 (Known as Presidential order) paragraph 3 which is against the secular constitution of India.
In a statement, the leaders of Christian Dal said that they have been demanding relentlessly for the deletion of this paragraph . A civil writ petition (No.180/2004) was filed in the Supreme Court of India by National Council of Dalit Christians, challenging the constitutional validity of the paragraph 3 of the constitution (SC) order 1950, which is still pending in the apex court awaiting appropriate response from Union Government.
They said that the National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities conducted a national study on the socio-economic and educational backwardness of Dalit Christian of SC origin and recommended deletion of the said paragraph 3 to extend SC status to Dalit Christians.
The National Schedule Caste Commission also endorsed the recommendation of the Justice Rauganatha Mishra Commission. The study by Prof Satish Despande of Delhi University of the Ministry of Minorities Affairs also gave positive recommendations for the conferment of SC status to Christians of SC origin. Despite these recommendations to the Union Government, there was no positive response by the Union Government so far, for addressing the issue, nor to file an appropriate reply in the apex court.
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