In court, Centre defends excluding Dalit Muslims, Christians from SC list

It told the Supreme Court the Ranganath Mishra Commission, which had recommended the inclusion of Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims in the SC list, took a myopic view of the issue and was 'flawed'

The Centre has told the Supreme Court that the Scheduled Caste status was never granted to those groups who claim to have been Dalits but later converted to Christianity or Islam as the historical data shows they never faced backwardness or oppression.

In a 70-page affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment defended the exclusion of the two communities from the SC list. It urged the court to quash any legal challenge to the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950.

According to this order, the constitutional right to reservations in jobs and education is extended