| Petition to Chief Justice of India seeking Justice to Dalit Christians
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PETITION TO CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA SEEKING
JUSTICE TO DALIT CHRISTIANS
To
The Honorable Chief Justice of India,
We the Dalit Christians bring to your kind notice our petition seeking justice for us. We have been demanding restoration of our reservation that was withdrawn in 1950 in gross violation of our Constitution and in blatant denial of our Fundamental Rights as well as our Human Rights. The Supreme Court is hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on 5th April 2006 seeking SC status for us, the Dalit Christians who were SC’s before our conversion. The PIL, filed by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), contends that paragraph 3 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, was coming in its way as the SC’s, on conversion to Christianity, lose all benefits.
In a ruling of the apex court given last year, where it was said even if a tribal converted to Christianity, he or she could still avail the reservation benefits as his/her status as ST remained unchanged, the CPIL had said the same law laid down by the court should be applicable to Dalits after their conversion. The reservation was available to Dalits while being followers of Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism and there was no reason why Dalit Christians be not given the benefit.
85% of our Dalit Christians continue to live in the same Cheri or colony or slum even up to two generations after becoming Christians. The humiliation and marginalisation continues on us for we work in the same village, with same wages, for the same masters enduring the same tyranny, abuse, beating and killing. Except for the (wrong) records in the revenue offices, we the Dalit Christians are Dalit in every sense of the word viz. ethnically, lineally, racially, socially, economically, culturally, vocationally, geographically, relationally, contextually and emotionally. (From National Co-ordination Committee for Dalit Christians booklet Demand fir Restoration of Equal Rights for Dalit Christians.) In the year 1997 special reporters on Religious Intolerance Committee of High Commissioner of United Nations Human Rights Commission had published one letter document Ref. No. E / CN.4 / 1997 /91/ Add I dt 14.02.1997 to the Indian Government. In a written reply letter, Union of India’s law Secretary had agreed to solve the injustice unto Dalit Christians of India by giving them equal Scheduled Caste privileges by taking necessary steps in the Parliament of India. So, to prove Dalit Christians social educational backwardness for getting SC reservation, the above said letter, by the Law Secretary is a prima facie, cogent authoritative testimonial evidence from the Central Government side. (Excerpts from the letter by T. Franklin Ceasar, the 2nd petitioner of the PIL)
Therefore the social discrimination for the Dalit Christians has been a saga for ages and we believe if the SC status is given to us the Dalit Christians like our other brothers and sisters of different faiths, there will be a ray of liberation and empowerment for us.
We the Dalit Christians today form 1.3% of the total population of India. Therefore when we are included in Dalit Reservation, we will need only 1.3% of the present Dalit Reservations. The fact that this will not in any way rob the non-Christian Dalits of their existing opportunity is amply demonstrated by the Commission Report of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes of Government of India.
Various State Governments, Union of India nominated social welfare exploration committees for extending reservations, had recommended to the Central and State Governments for extending SC privileges to Dalit Christians. (Mandal Commission, Backward class of Andhra Pradesh, Kumara Pillai Commission report in Kerala, Elayaperumal Commissions, Satanathan Commission, Chidambaram Commission Report, Kaka Kalelkar Commission Reports and Union Minorities Commission Reports 1981-1982 etc.)
In view of these, the National Council of Churches in India with 13 million people, with 29 Protestant and Orthodox Churches, 17 Regional Council of Churches, 16 All India Christian Organisations and with 7 Related Agencies, request the Honourable Chief Justice of India to do justice to the Dalit Christians by extending them the SC reservation status, thereby strengthening the liberation movement in India. For many years the Church in India has been running from pillar to post seeking justice for Dalit Christians. Justice has been delayed and denied in this regard. But time has come now, to establish justice for Dalit Christians. As Acharya Vinoba Bhave said, Anthyodaya is Sarvodaya, we are confident if Dalit Christians who constitute 1.3% of total Indian population are empowered with this SC status, this shall pave way for the liberation of all that are oppressed in India. We believe that the words of Jesus Christ, “you shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free” shall come true. Satyameva Jayathe (Truth alone is Triumphant). Into that heaven of freedom my Father, let my country awake.
Rev. Raj Bharath Patta,
Executive Secretary, Dalit Concerns,
National Council of Churches in India, Nagpur
31st March 2006
Source from Raj Bharath's Dossier
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