PIL seeks ban on caste, tribe based social groups

A petition has been filed in the Bombay High Court seeking ban on registered or unregistered social organisations constituted in the name of caste and tribe. The petition, filed on August 31, will be listed for hearing soon.

Petitioner Akshay Bhikkad has claimed in his petition that such organisations are ruining the social fabric of India in the name of caste or tribe and cultural groups. "Because the caste/tribe organisations, numerous in various castes, indulge in creating social disharmony and cause damage to the social thread by posing against other tribes, they bring social enmity instead of unity," the petition read.

Bikkad further noted that many incidents were reported by the media of tiffs arising between various caste organisations over differences of opinion, which subsequently lead to a divide in the same caste.

"The view of one organisation of any given caste often is considered as the view of the entire caste, which may not be the case. And other members of that given caste, if they do not toe the lines of such organisations, face social hatred and even boycott in certain cases," he added.

The petitioner claimed that such organisations are creating social drift and spreading social hatred primarily through hate speeches besides other divisionary tactics, and therefore, called for a ban on such organisations.

"The petitioner respectfully submits that there can be social organizations, registered or unregistered which may work for the social justice and upliftment of the respective communities without having caste/tribe included in their names," he noted.

An active Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) member, Bikkad was one of the complainants who registered an FIR against Independent MLA Jignesh Mevani and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student activist Umar Khalid for delivering "hatred speeches" in an Elgar Parishad on December 31.