Lok Sabha on 27 November 2014 passed the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders Amendment Bill, 2014. The bill seeks to include more castes under Scheduled Castes category in four states and exclude Majhi (Nepali) community from it in Sikkim.
The four States mentioned in the Bill are Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Tripura.
For this, the Bill seeks to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 and the Constitution (Sikkim) Scheduled Castes Order, 1978.
List of community under SC category that have been included in the Bill
- Kerala: Pulluvan, Thachar (other than ‘Carpenter’)
- Madhya Pradesh: Dahiya
- Odisha: Amata, Amath, Bajia, Jaggili, Jagli, Buna Pano
- Tripura: Chamar-Rohidas, Chamar-Ravidas, Dhobi, Jhalo-Malo
During the debate on the Bill in Lok Sabha, the Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot rejected the demand of some parties that Christian and Muslims Dalits too should be included in the Bill.
The Union Government rejected the demand on the ground that the matter is pending before the Supreme Court.
Background
The bill was first introduced in Lok Sabha in 2012 but lapsed after the 15th Lok Sabha was dissolved. It was later introduced by Narendra Modi-led NDA government in August 2014 in Lok Sabha.
Article 341 of the Constitution empowers the President to specify castes which will be deemed as Scheduled Castes through a notification. It also empowers Parliament to include or exclude castes from the list of Scheduled Castes in the notification.
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