BJP Ally Makes Bold Statement on Supreme Court’s SC/ST Sub-Classification Order

Patna:

A day after the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) shared on social media that it is not supportive of the Supreme Court ruling allowing sub-categorization within the reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Union Minister Chirag Paswan mentioned that the party will challenge the decision. 

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader argued that the primary rationale for the classification of Scheduled Castes was untouchability, which was not referenced in the Supreme Court ruling, and stated that his party will request a review. 

Responding to a query on the caste census, which has been repeatedly demanded by Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, the crucial BJP ally expressed support for the enumeration but preferred to keep the results confidential. 

“The Supreme Court has issued a ruling on sub-categorization and I do not want to make any statements that could be considered contempt of court, but we do have an objection. The Lokshakti Party (Ramvilas) will file a review petition in the Supreme Court. Let me clarify that in the case of SCs, the castes were included in the scheduled category based on untouchability. The basis was never financial or educational. All of these castes endured untouchability in some way or another,” Mr Paswan stated in Hindi.

सुप्रीम कोर्ट के दलित – आदिवासी के कोटे के अंदर कोटे के फ़ैसले के ख़िलाफ़ केंद्रीय मंत्री ⁦@iChiragPaswan⁩ की पार्टी पुनर्विचार याचिका दाखिल करेगी । चिराग़ ने साफ़ किया कि दलितों – आदिवासियों को आरक्षण छूआछूत के आधार पर मिला हैं ⁦@ndtv⁩ ⁦@ndtvindia⁩ pic.twitter.com/8V2oBGwaQD

— manish (@manishndtv) August 3, 2024

“So the idea of reservation within reservation cannot be applied to scheduled castes… creamy layer can never be applied to scheduled castes because the foundation is untouchability. However, untouchability is not even mentioned in the Supreme Court observations. Even today, we witness Dalit grooms being prevented from riding a horse. Educated Scheduled Caste individuals from affluent families also face untouchability,” he asserted.

In a post on X on Friday, the account of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) highlighted the legacy of Mr Paswan’s father, Ram Vilas Paswan, a prominent Dalit leader, and urged the Supreme Court to reconsider its ruling.

“Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) does not support the Supreme Court’s ruling on reservation in sub-categories for SC-ST categories. The party’s founder Padma Bhushan Ram Vilas Paswan ji has also been advocating that as long as there is a practice of untouchability against the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the society, there should not be any provision for reservation in sub-categories and creamy layer for SC-ST categories,” the party wrote in Hindi.

“Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) appeals to the Supreme Court to reconsider the ruling to prevent discrimination in the SC-ST community and to maintain the strength of society,” it added.

Issuing its verdict on Thursday, a seven-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, stated in its majority judgment that sub-categorization is allowed. 

“The members of SC/ST categories often face barriers to progress due to the systemic discrimination they encounter. Article 14 allows for the sub-categorization of caste… Historical and empirical evidence shows that the Scheduled Castes are a socially diverse group,” Chief Justice Chandrachud remarked. 

The government also informed the court that it supported the sub-categorization of SCs and STs as not doing so perpetuates inequality within the reserved categories. 

Caste Census

When Mr Paswan was questioned about the caste census request, which has also become a subject of intense debate in the ongoing Parliament session, he expressed approval for it for policy-making purposes. 

“I believe we should conduct a caste census. However, the results should not be made public. The data should be utilized by the government to develop policies,” he stated.