Defining who is a minority: Centre changes stand in Supreme Court
The Narendra Modi government has changed its stance over the definition of minority and withdrawn its previous affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court.
FollowThe Narendra Modi government has changed its stance over the definition of minority and withdrawn its previous affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court.
The central government has informed the Apex court that is changing its stance on the matter and clarified that minority status is a central subject. The Centre also informed the court that it will be speaking to all stakeholders, including state governments, in this regard.
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The Centre had, in its earlier affidavit, said that the states would decide who a minority is. At the same time, some state governments gave districts the authority to identify minorities in their jurisdiction taking into account demographics.
It had also stated in the old affidavit that states can consider issues pertaining to whether followers of Hinduism, Judaism, and Bahaism can build and administer educational institutions of their choice in the said states.
In its new affidavit, the Centre has said that the minority is a central subject and that the government will come up with the definition of who a minority is. The affidavit comes on the day the petition filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay is to be heard by the Apex court.Â
The Supreme Court had granted the Centre four weeks to respond to the plea that sought directions for framing guidelines for the identification of minorities at the state level. The petition contended that Hindus are in minority in 10 states.
The new affidavit states that the question posed in the writ petition has far-reaching ramifications across the country.Â
The Centre states that any stand taken on the matter without due deliberations with the stakeholders may lead to unintended complications for the country.Â
The affidavit filed by the ministry of minority affairs said that the central government will ensure that a considered view is placed before the Apex court taking into account multiple social, logical, and other aspects leading to 'unintended complications' in the future over the issue.
