Dalit:
- The word ‘Dalit’, which in classical Sanskrit means ‘broken’, has for years been used to identify those who fall outside the four-fold caste system in the Brahmanical social order, and have been subjected to untouchability.
- In the past few decades, however, the term has acquired a political connotation, being associated with the radical movement of the depressed classes.
Schedule Castes: Constitutional Provisions
- Article 366(24): Scheduled Caste means such cases, races or tribes or parts of or groups within such castes, races or tribes as are deemed under Article 341 to be Scheduled Castes for the purposes of this Constitution;
- Article 341:
- (1) The President may with respect to any State or Union territory, by public notification, specify the castes, races or tribes for the purposes of this Constitution as Scheduled Castes in relation to that State or Union territory.
- (2) Parliament may by law include in or exclude from the list of Scheduled Castes specified in a notification issued under clause (1) any caste, race or tribe or part.
Timeline:
- March 2018: The Union ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment issued a circular to all ministries, departments, states/UTs asking them to avoid using the terms “Dalit” and “Harijan” when referring to members of Scheduled Caste communities and instead use the words “Scheduled Caste”.
- June 2018: The Nagpur branch of the Bombay High Court passed a directive asked the government to advise the media to use the term “Scheduled Caste” as suggested by the circular issued by the Ministry in March 2018.
- August 2018: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting advised media publications to refrain from using the term and to use the constitutional term “Scheduled Caste” in English and appropriate translations in other languages instead.
- Petition against decision:
- Subsequently a petition was filed against the decision by advocate Sriram Parakkat who represented a group of individuals and organisations working for Dalit rights.
- The plea said the word “Dalit” is a self-chosen name, used as a “positive self-identifier and as a political identity”. The name represented the people who have been affected by the caste system and the practice of untouchability.
- It also referred to the decision by Press Council of India in November 2018, in which it ratified a decision against a blanket ban on the use of the word Dalit as such a restriction is “neither feasible nor advisable”.
- Recent Supreme Court Verdict:
- The Supreme Court rejected a plea challenging the Centre’s circular advising the media against using the word “Dalit” to refer to members of the Scheduled Caste.
- It said that the petitioners could approach the “appropriate authorities”.
