INTRODUCTION
The expression "minority" has been derived from the Latin word 'minor' and the suffix 'ity' which means "small in number". 'Minorities' means 'groups held together by ties of common descent, language or religious faith and feeling different in these respects from the maority of the inhabitants of a gi!en political entity"#"Minority" can also be defined as a group of persons ha!ing different race, language or religion from that of maority of inhabitants $rticle %&() uses the terms ‘linguistic’ or ‘religious’ minorities. The word ‘or’ means that a minority may either be linguistic or religious and that it does not have to be both – a religious minority as well as linguistic minority. minority. t is sufficient of it is one or the other or both.
The constitution uses the term ‘minority’ without defining it. n re The !erala ducation #ill$ the %upreme &ourt opined that while it is easy to say that minority means a community which is numerically less than ( per cent$ the important )uestion is ( * of what+ %hould %hou ld it be of the entire population of ndia$ or of a state$ or a part thereof+ t is possible that a co mmunity may be in ma,ority in a state but in a minority in the whole of ndia. - community community may be concentrated con centrated in a part of a state and may thus be in ma,ority there$ though it may be in minority in the state as a whole. f a part of a state is to be taen$ then the )uestion is where to draw the line and an d what is to be taen into consideration a district$ town$ a municipality or its wards. The ruling in the !erala ducation #ill has been reiterated by the %upreme &ourt in /uru 0ana 1niversity case. n that case$ the %upreme &ourt re,ected the contention of the state of 2un,ab that a religious or linguistic minority should be a minority in relation to the entire population of ndia. The &ourt has ruled that a minority has to be determined$ in relation to the particular legislation which is sought to be impugned. f it is a state law$ the minorities have to be determined in relation to the state population. The 3indus in 2un,ab constitute a religious minority. Therefore$ -rya %ama,istis in 2un,ab also constitute a religious minority having their own distinct language and script. t is within the realm of possibility that the population of a state may be so fragmented that no linguistic or religious group may by itself constitute ( percent of the total state population. n such a situation$ every group will fall within the umbrella of -rt. 4(567 without there being a ma,ority group in the state against which minorities need to claim protection.
The &ourt has pointed out that if various sections and classes of the 3indus were to be regarded as ‘minorities’ under article 4(567$ then the 3indus would be divided into numerous sections and classes and cease to be a ma,ority any longer. The sections of one religion cannot constitute religious minorities. The term ‘minority based on religion’ should be restricted only to those
religious minorities$ e.g. 8uslims$ &hristians$ 9ains$ #uddists$ %ihs$ etc.$ which have ept their identity separate from the ma,ority$ namely$ the 3indus.
The term Minority Rights embodies t*o separate concepts+ first, normal indi!idual rights as applied to members of racial, ethnic, class, religious, linguistic or seual minorities, and second, collecti!e rights accorded to minority groups# The term may also apply simply to individual rights of anyone who is not part of a ma,ority decision.
&ivil rights movements often see to ensure that individual rights are not denied on the basis of membership in a minority group. There are many political bodies which also feature minority group rights. This might be seen in affirmative action )uotas$ or in guaranteed minority representation in a consociational state.
Constitutional Constitutional rights and safeguards pro!ided to the minorities in India+
(# Constitutional safeguards for religious and linguistic minorities of India
Though Though the &onsti &onstitut tution ion of ndia ndia does does not define define the word word ‘8inor ‘8inority ity’’ and only refers refers to ‘8inorities’ and speas of those ‘based on religion or language’$ the rights of the minorities have been spelt out in the &onstitution in detail.
-# .Commo .Common n Domain Domain// and .0e .0epara parate te Domain/ Domain/ of rights rights of minori minorities ties pro!id pro!ided ed in the Constitution
The &onstitution provides two sets of rights of minorities which can be placed in ‘common domain’ and ‘separate domain’. The rights which fall in the ‘common domain’ are those which are applicable to all the citi:ens of our country. The rights which fall in the ‘separate domain’ are those which are applicable to the minorities only and these are reserved to protect their identity. The distinction between ‘common domain’ and ‘separate domain’ and their combination have been well ept ep t and protected in the &onstitution. The 2reamble to the &onstitution declares the %tate to be ‘%ecular’ and this is a special relevance for the ;eligious 8inorities. )ually relevant for them$ especially$ is the declaration of the &onstitution in its 2reamble that all citi:ens of ndia
are to be secured ‘liberty of thought$ expression$ belief$ faith and worship and ‘e)uality of status and of opportunity.’
-#( .Common Domain/, the Directi!e 1rinciples of 0tate 1olicy 2 1art I3 of the Constitution
The &onstitution has made provisions for the
$ which are connected with social and economic rights of the people. These rights are nown as ‘?irective 2rinciples of %tate 2olicy’$ which legally are not binding upon the %tate$ but are @fundamental in the governance of the country and it shall be the duty of the %tate to apply these principles in maing lawsA. 5-rticle 4B7. 2art > of the &onstitution of ndia$ containing non=,usticiable ?irective 2rinciples of %tate 2olicy$ includes the following provisions having significant implications for the 8inorities C= i.
obligation of the %tate ‘to endeavour to eliminate ine)ualities in status$ facilities and opportunities’ amongst individuals and groups of people residing in different areas or engaged in different vocationsDE-rticle 4F 5G7 H
ii.
obligation of %tate ‘to promote with special care’ the educational and economic interests of ‘the weaer sections of the people’ 5besides %cheduled &astes and %cheduled Tribes7 5-rticle IJ7
-#- .Common Domain/, the 4undamental Duties 2 1art I3$ of the Constitution
2art >- of the &onstitution$ relating to
&iti:ens’ duty to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of ndia ‘transcending religious$ linguistic and regional or sectional diversitiesD and
ii.
&iti:ens’ duty to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture.’
-#% .Common Domain/, the 4undamental Rights 2 1art III of the Constitution
The &onstitution has provided a definite space for both the ‘domains’ i.e. ‘common’ as well as ‘separate’. n 2art of the &onstitution$ which deals with the
people’s right to ‘e)uality before the law’ and ‘e)ual protection of the laws’D E-rticle 6IH
ii.
prohibition of discrimination against citi:ens on grounds of religion$ race$ caste$ sex or place of birthD E-rticle 6 567 K 5G7H
iii.
authority of %tate to mae ‘any special provision for the advancement of any socially and educationally bacward classes of citi:ens’ 5besides the %cheduled &astes and %cheduled Tribes7D E-rticle 6 5I7H
iv.
citi:ens’ right to ‘e)uality of opportunity’ in matters relating to employment or appointment to any office under the %tate – and prohibition in this regard of discrimination on grounds of religion$ race$ caste$ sex or place of birthD E-rticle 6J567K5G7H
v.
authority of %tate to mae ‘any provision for the reservation of appointments or posts in favour of any bacward class of citi:ens which$ in the opinion of the %tate$ is not ade)uately represented in the services under the %tateD E-rticle 6J5I7H
vi.
people’s freedom of conscience and right to freely profess$ practice and propagate religion – sub,ect to public order$ morality and other
vii.
right of ‘every religious denomination or any section thereof – sub,ect to public order$ morality and health – to establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes$ ‘manage its own affairs in matters of religion’$ and own and ac)uire movable immovable property and administer it ‘in accordance with law’D E-rticle GJH
viii.
prohibition against compelling any person to pay taxes for promotion of any particular religion’D E-rticle GBH
ix.
people’s ‘freedom as to attendance at religious instruction or religious worship in educational institutions’ wholly maintained$ recogni:ed$ or aided by the %tate.E-rticle GFH
-#5 .0eparate Domain/ of Minority Rights
The 8inority ;ights provided in the &onstitution which fall in the category of ‘%eparate ?omain’ are as underC=
i.
right of ‘any section of the citi:ens’ to ‘conserve’ its ‘distinct language$ script or culture’D E-rticle G567H
ii.
restriction on denial of admission to any citi:en$ to any educational institution maintained or aided by the %tate$ ‘on grounds only of religion$ race$ caste$ language or any of them’D E-rticle G5G7H
iii.
right of all ;eligious and Linguistic 8inorities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choiceDE-rticle 4(567H
iv.
freedom of 8inority=managed educational institutions from discrimination in the matter of receiving aid from the %tateDE-rticle4(5G7H
v.
special provision relating to the language spoen by a section of the population of any %tateDE-rticle 4IBH
vi.
provision for facilities for instruction in mother=tongue at primary stageDE-rticle 4( -H
vii.
provision for a %pecial Mfficer for Linguistic 8inorities and his dutiesD and E-rticle 4( #H
viii.
%ih community’s right of ‘wearing and carrying of irpansD Explanation 6 below -rticle GH
%# India/s multi6culturalism inter*o!en in the Constitution
The various -rticles of the &onstitution providing rights to the minorities$ clearly and firmly point out to only one directionC that of a multi=religious$ multi=cultural$ multi=lingual and multi= racial ndian society$ interwoven into an innate unity by the common thread of national integration and communal harmony. #y the yardstic adopted by the framers of the &onstitution and crystalli:ed into its provisions the ndian 0ation is not ,ust a conglomeration of individual inhabitants of this %tateD it comprises of two distinct categories of constituents. The two=tier commonwealth of ndian 0ation includes$ on one hand$ every citi:en of ndia individually and$ on the other hand$ the multitude of religious$ linguistic$ cultural and ethnic groups among its citi:ens. The ndian 0ation is an enormous coparcenary in which the individual citi:ens are also members of their own respective branches taing the form of religious$ cultural$ linguistic and ethnic groups. -nd all these groups$ lie all individuals$ have the same
5# 1rotection of *ea7er sections in Indian pluralistic society
The social pluralism of ndia$ as fortified by the uni)ue &onstitutional concept of secularism$ raises the need for the protection and development of all sorts of weaer sections of the ndian citi:enry – whether this ‘weaness’ is based on numbers or on social$ economic or educational status of any particular group. The &onstitution$ therefore$ speas of ;eligious and Linguistic 8inorities$ %cheduled &astes$ %cheduled Tribes and #acward &lasses and maes – or leaves room for maing – for them special provisions of various nature and varying import.
. Right of a minority to establish educational institutions 2 5a7 -rticle – 4( – -rticle – 4(567 gives the linguistic or religious minorities the following two rightsC 5a7 The right to establish$ and 5b7 The right to administer educational institutions of their choice. -rticle – 4(5G7 bars the state$ while granting aid to educational institutions$ from discriminating against any educational institution on the ground that it is under the management of a linguistic or a religious minority. t mandates that in granting aid to educational institutions$ the state shall not discriminate against any educational institution on the ground that it is under the management of a minority$ whether based on religion or language.8inority rights have gained greater visibility and relevance all over the world. ndia is no exception to it being a multi=ethnic$ multi=religious$ multi=linguistic and multi=cultural society. ?iversity of all types is the very soul of ndia. t is in this context that minority rights have assumed a dded significance in post= independence ndia. Nhen ndia attained indepen dence after its division on religious lines$ religious minorities became very apprehensive of their identity. $ccording to a sur!ey -&&() at that time there *ere ((#89 per cent Muslims, -#%- per cent Christians, (#9: per cent 0i7hs and considerable number of ;uddhists c per cent), 1arsees per cent) and
them in the education field. 0o special efforts have been made to fulfil the needs of 8uslims which belong to the lower strata of society. The grievances of the %ihs in ndia a re largely political with subdued economic overtones. The grievances of all religious minorities seem to be related to the operation of state agencies. Today minority rights have introduced two new dimensions into democracy. uality $rticle (5) which is an extension of the rights ensured in the 2reamble to the &onstitution. -rticle 6I of our &onstitution saysC The 0tate shall not deny to any person e>uality before the la* and shall pro!ide e>ual protection for e!ery person *ithin the territory of India#
Though this -rticle appears to be very short and simple$ it is one of the greatest pillars of democracy. t protects both minority and ma,ority alie against the discriminatory conduct of the government both negatively and positively. This provision embodies a concept which is a hall= mar of democracy. 3owever$ to the )uestion as to whether the ndian minorities really en,oy this fundamental right to e)uality$ the answer$ unfortunately$ is ‘no’. #ecause in the real sense$ ndian minorities do not fully en,oy some of the basic fundamental rights. The ma,or problems faced by the &hristian minority with regard to fundamental rights are as given below. The discrimination on grounds of religion is !ery clearly prohibited by $rticle (? of our Constitution which says in clause 567C @The state shall not discriminate against any citi:en on grounds of religion$ race$ caste$ gender$ place of birth etc.A This fundamental right against discrimination on ground of religion is one of the most important rights for the flourishing of any religiously pluralistic society as we have in our country.6 #ut unfortunately$ we are till now unable to implement what -rticle 6 last down. This mandate of @non=discrimination against any person on grounds of religionA given in -rticle 6 of the &onstitution has still not been enforced totally$ even though the &onstitution was promulgated more than F years ago. This right$ which existed$ in whatever little extent$ before the promulgation of the &onstitution$ was lost when our &onstitution came into being.
The third paragraph of the 2residential Mrder of 6( was amended by 2arliament to extend constitutional benefits to the ‘?alit %ihs’ 56J7 and the ‘#uddhists’ 56(7 along with the ‘3indus’$ but similar benefit was refused to the ?alit &hristians. The denial of ,ustice to the ?alit &hristians is also against the letter and spirit of the &onstitution of ndia on e)ual ,ustice. The 2residential Mrder$ as it was interpreted$ was not only communalistic$ it was also anti=?alit. t tended to divide the ?alits on the basis of religion. ;egarding the criteria of amendment$ the point made by ;amvilas 2aswan in 6( needs to be noted. 2aswan$ who was the then 1nion 8inister of Nelfare and Labour$ while stating the ob,ects and reasons for proposing to include #uddhists of %cheduled &aste origin in the list of %cheduled &astes$ said that the change of religion does not alter social and economic conditions. #ut above all$ the third paragraph of the 6( 2residential Mrder is a direct contradiction of -rticles 6I$ 6 and G of our &onstitution since it had used religion as the criterion to describe who will be a %cheduled &aste. n ndia the opportunities for employment are very scant y and the state is the greatest employer. The principle of non=discrimination and e)uality is also upheld in matters of public employment in the &onstitution# $rticle (8 says+ @No citiAen shall, on grounds of religion, race or caste, be ineligible for, or discriminated against in respect of, any employment or office under the 0tate#B
The Constitution in $rticle (8 gi!es e>uality of opportunity in matters of public employment# #ut again$ because of the 2residential Mrder of 6( and the refusal of %haner ?ayal %harma to issue an ordinance 4 for reservation for &hristians during the time of 2.>. 0arashima ;ao as the 28 the -rticle has been made infructuous. This has been made available to the ?alits in the fold of 3induism$ %ihism and #uddhism but not to those who are &hristians. This also amounts to discrimination on grounds of religion which the ‘state’ is forbidden to effect under -rticle 6.
The denial of ,ustice to the ?alit &hristians goes against the letter and spirit of -rticles 6I$ 6$ 6J and G of the &onstitution of ndia on e)ual ,ustice$ e)ual opportunities and freedom of religion. f a %cheduled &aste becomes a &hristian$ he loses all the reservation facilities$ and if he produces a certificate of %cheduled &aste he gets bac all the benefits. ven the children of the same %cheduled &aste parents$ living under the same roof$ sharing the same meals are discriminated against on the basis of religion. %ohan %ingh gets all the reservation facilities. Nhile his own brother 8ohan 8asih is denied all the benefits ,ust because @8asihA happens to be a &hristian. t is bad luc if any &hristian symbol is noticed with himOher or at hisOher residence. 3eOshe loses all the service benefits. This also amounts to violation of the constitutional rights. ?espite years of independence the$ ?alit &hristians continue to be the victims of all inds of ill=treatment. The history of independent ndia is both pathetic and shameful on the treatment meted out to ?alits.
The 8andal &ommission’s report unambiguously stated that state assistance should be given to all genuinely bacward sections of people irrespective of religion or caste which many thought would end discrimination against the poor among the minorities. #ut the ‘soft’ &ommunists or secularists or religious fanatics in the ma,ority community are now said to have found another excuse to deprive the &hristians of these facilities. The argument advanced is that the bacwards having @un=ndian sounding or -nglo=%axonA names cannot claim such benefits.I They can afford to discriminate against &hristians in this manner because they are a negligible @vote= banA. This is the way our rulers create divisions$ frictions and differences in our country. The other serious implication of the 2residential Mrder of 6( is that it has also affected another fundamental right of the ?alit &hristians$ the right meant to protect their personal life as well as liberty. n the last F years of ndia’s independence$ the country’s three largest minorities$ 8uslims$ &hristians and %ihs$ have been targeted by fanatics of the ma,ority community and other vested interests$ on the basis of their religious identity alone$ resulting in a serious assault on their basic rights$ including the right to life itself. -rticle G6 of the ndian &onstitution clearly stipulatesC @0o person shall be deprived of his right of p ersonal liberty except according to procedure established by law.A The fact that the ?alit &hristians are not getting protection of life and personal liberty is manifest in the various government -cts and rules passed by 2arliament to give special protection to the %cheduled &astes but these are not applicable to the &hristians of %cheduled &aste origin during atrocities. These -cts and rules include 2rotection of &ivil ;ights -ct 6$ 2rotection of &ivil ;ights ;ule 6BB and %cheduled &astes and %cheduled Tribes 52revention of -trocities7 -ct 6F. -ll these -cts and rules are supposed to give the %& 5?alits7 special protection and rights against various inds of atrocities and oppressions meted out to them by the people of so=called upper castes of forward classes. #ut this protection is not made available to ?alit &hristians.
$lthough under $rticle -(, the 0tate is bound to protect the life and liberty of e!ery human being$ it has failed to protect this right. There are a lot of violations. %uch type of violations threatens the very right to life$ physical integrity and health of citi:ens. 3ere are some of the headlines in the national mediaC @2ersecutionP&hristians are now being systematically targetedA. t referred to the recent move of the then #92 run ?elhi /overnment to denotify churches in ?elhi as places of worship on the ground that @wine was served thereA. @%affron #rigade stries again in /u,aratA. @&hristian missionary school attaced$ copy of 0ew Testament burntAPflashed 3industan Times on 9uly GG$ 6F.
$rticle -? of the Indian Constitution gi!es all citiAens the @freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practice and propagate religionB# The &hristians have almost always
faced problems with this fundamental right especially with the last part of propaga ting its faith. number of %tates such as Mrissa$ -runachal 2radesh$ 8adhya 2radesh$ /u,arat and Tamil 0adu have passed -cts through their legislature severely curbing this right. n many %tates lie 2un,ab$ the concerned authorities refused to allow an y venue and date for religious conversions or religious conventions for preaching the teachings of 9esus &hrist. This is undoubtedly a violation of -rticle G.
muster enough support for it to get it through. #esides the above$ the &hristian vangelists and &hurch worers had to face consistent opposition to practising and propagating their faith. They were also attaced physically many a time and harassed by the fanatic groups in a number of %tates such as /u,arat$ 8adhya 2radesh$ Mrissa$ 12$ 8aharashtra and 2un,ab. n ?ecember 6$ non=&hristians organised a rally at -hwa in ?angs district in the /u,arat %tate on &hristmas ?ay pro,ecting the alleged conversion of tribals to &hristianity by the missionaries.6( n 2un,ab$ religious conventions were disturbed at va rious places by the %angh 2arivar during the -ali=#92 regime. #ut the government did not tae serious note of this problem and even refused to accept the recommendations of the 0ational 8inority &ommission. $ritcle -8 of our Constitution has gi!en to all the religious minorities the right to establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes, to manage their o*n affairs in matters of religion, in any manner they *ish to administer and maintain such property in accordance *ith the la*#
n /u,arat$ the %tate ducation ?epartment issued a circular to the government aided schools to subscribe to a /u,arati maga:ine$ %adhana$ which is wedded to the ideology of the ;%% and %angh 2arivar. This is a direct violation of -rticle GJ of the ndian &onstitution.66 The violation of -rticle GJ occurs when the freedom to establish religious institutions is curbed. The local administration generally refused permission to build$ enlarge or renovate places of worship of the minority religious groups. This has become a ma,or problem for the &hristian community. To get permission for building a &hurch has become a nightmarish experience for the &hristian applicants.6G The recent destruction of churches in certain parts of the country has further aggravated the threat to the right$ guaranteed in the &onstitution$ and granted to the &hristian community$ along with other religious communities$ to establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes.
$rticle -: offers protection to the cultural rights of minorities and $rticle %& () gi!es them the right to establish and administer educations institutions of their choice# Clause %(-) states that the state shall not, in granting aid to educational institutions, discriminate against any educational institution on the ground that it is under the management of a minority, *hether based on religion or language#
#ut with regard to the rights provided on -rticle G and 4( also$ the &hristians continue to face problems throughout the country. 5;ecently the 2un,ab /overnment enacted a law and imposed a lot of limitations on minority institutions. The first ma,or problem which the &hristian
educational institutions are facing is the intervention of the %tate du cation ?epartment and 1niversities at different levels. Questions are being raised whether a special place can be offered to the members of the &hristian community as students or trainees. The government not only discriminates against minority schools$ colleges$ nursing colleges$ and hospitals in granting aid$ but also imposes many rules and restrictions to prevent minority institutions from appointing their own candidates. Nhen a vacancy comes up in schools and other institutions they are forced to accept the %tate’s choice to fill it and on many occasions &hristian educational institutions have had to go to court to get ,ustice. %ome of the fanatic groups are not in favour of a separate and distinct culture for minorities. They want that all minorities in ndia must give up their separate culture as ndia is one country and one culture. 2rof #alra, 8adho suggested that the minorities must adopt ndian 53indu7 names. n short$ they must adopt the ndian culture=the national culturePin their religion. Their religion should bend its loyalty towards ndian 0ationalism. The suggestion made by 8adho is totally against the rights guaranteed under -rticle G of the &onstitution which saysC -ny section of citi:ens$ residing in the territory of ndia$ or any part thereof$ having a distinct language or culture of its own$ shall have the right to conserve the sameRall persons are e)ually entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to profess$ practise and propagate their religion. n fact the 8uslims$ &hristians and %ihs each have their own separate and distinct culture. The above utterances negate the guarantee given by the &onstitution to conserve the culture of the minorities. %uch utterances have been in vogue for many decades. t is a shame that the leaders of the largest democracy with a large number of religions allow the propagation of such mindless thoughts 5which clearly trample underfeet the constitutional rights7 against such a minuscule section of the population as &hristians. The next problem is concerning &hristian 2ersonal Law which includes S The ndian &hristian 8arriage -ct 6FBG$ S The ndian ?ivorce -ct 6FJ S The ndian %uccession -ct 6G. These -cts were enacted under #ritish rule and reflect the #ritish point of view. %ome contents and -cts have direct relationship to the nglish law and the &ourts. of the ndian ?ivorce -ct 6FJ says that for anything uncovered by this -ct$ the ndian courts shall follow the procedure of nglish &ourts.6J %imilarly the &hristian 8arriage -ct 6FBG has$ at a number of places$ references to the &hurches of ngland and %cotland.6B
The ndian %uccession -ct 6G also has a number of wea points lie the restrictions imposed on a widow’s right to property. -ll these discrepancies need immediate attention of both the ndian &hristians as well as the ndian /overnment in order to introduce suitable amendments to these -cts. The &hristian law is biased in circumstances of marriage$ grounds for divorce$ demand for damages and e)uitable relief. The need for a change has been widely recognised. The campaign for changes in the &hristian 2ersonal Law was taen up at the 9oint Nomen’s 2rogramme 59N27 in 6F4. Through several meetings held in different places$ where #ishops$ clergymen$ lawyers$ the laity of the churches and social activists participated$ it came to a unanimous conclusion that the &hristian 2ersonal Law$ as enacted and administered in ndia$ was outdated$ un,ust and did not fairly meet the needs of the present generation. The ndian &hristian 8arriage -ct 6FBG$ the ndian ?ivorce -ct 6FJ and the ndian %uccession -ct 6G had several sections that were discriminatory. The first two of these -cts were enacted more than a century ago and the third one is also almost three )uarters of a century old. Nomen suffer and are treated differently from men. There is also a need to enable &h ristians to adopt children whenever the need arises. The 9oint Nomen’s 2rogramme 59N27 along with the &hurch of 0orth ndia drafted a new &hristian 8arriage and 8aintenance #ill in 6F with help of 2.8. #ashi$ the then 8ember of the Law &ommission. The 9oint Nomen’s 2rogramme also re)uested all the &hurches to send in their consensus opinion and the &hristian 8arriage and 8atrimonial #ill 6($ the ndian %uccession -mendment #ill 6($ and the &hristian -doption and 8aintenance #ill 6( were formulated. Thereafter an economic committee for changes in the &hristian 2ersonal Law was formed. This committee studied the 6G #ill and a d raft was finalised to change the existing -cts covering marriage$ divorce$ succession and a doption. t also drafted a &hristian -doption Law 6I. The draft of the @&hristian 8arriage #illA enabled the solution of cases of divorce on the grounds of cruelty by mutual consent and did away with the compulsion of restoration of con,ugal rights. The &hurch leadership raised its voice to bring in changes in the #ill. The
The &hristians tae the ndian &onstitution for granted to provide$ protect and safeguard the fundamental rights of every citi:en and every minority$ including the &hristians. 3owever$ the relevance and effectiveness of the safeguards are eroding fast$ due to large scale saffronisation of the education system$ the handiwor of the %angh 2arivar$ to enforce its political ideology. These changes are bold enough to dream of saffronisation of all minority communities as well. %ome organisations of the %angh 2arivar are so eager to threaten the very existence of the minority communities that they are moving in an extremely disruptive direction. These moves$ sooner or later$ will ,eopardise the fundamental rights of the minority communities. The political thining of the communal forces is moving towards the formation of a theocratic state$ in which the goal and religion of the %angh 2arivar becomes the supreme force. This is creating a situation wherein the minority communities$ especially the poor and downtrodden ?alit &hristians$ are feeling helpless. 8inority and ma,ority feelings still exist in the country even after years of our freedom and every secular$ democratic ndian citi:en is bound to be appalled by such a development. The country’s identity and dignity are getting increasingly obscured. The apathy of the administration$ the violation of minorities’ rights$ the 2residential Mrder of 6( and the 8andal &ommission report have all cumulatively led to the evolution of an extremely helpless and frustrating situation for the minority community of &hristians. The &hristians ,ust want a fair system to fulfill their basic needs and a chance to live an honorable life which can only be provided by the institutionali:ation of minority rights in general and those of the &hristian minority in particular for long ignored by the p owers that be.
0T$TU0 R=1ORT O4 UTT$R 1R$D=0+
I# EUCFNOG Minority concentration district+ Euc7no* Category+ ; 0ub6category+ ;(
;ac7*ardness parameters of district *or7ed out from Census -&&( data#
#asic -menities
%ocio=economic
0ational -verage
I6.B
I.F
?istrict -verage
4.JI
4.GF
1opulation data of district as per Census -&&(+
Religion
-ll religions 8uslims
1opulation H o!er total population
4JIBF4I
==
BIFJFB
G(.G
&hristians
6GGFJ
(.4I
%ihs
G466(
(.J4
I4GB
(.6G
==
==
#uddhists 2arsis Total 8inority
BFFI6(
G6.J6
II# 0$<$$N1UR Minority concentration district+ 0hahahanpur Category+ $ ;ac7*ardness parameters of district *or7ed out from Census -&&( data#
==
;asic $menities
0ocio6economic
0ational -verage
I6.B
I.F
?istrict -verage
GG.BF
GB.4
1opulation data of district as per Census -&&(+
Religion
-ll religions 8uslims &hristians %ihs #uddhists 2arsis Total 8inority
1opulation
GIBF
H o!er total population
==
I(I
6B.FJ
GBF
(.66
I(4
G.6I
G(4
(.G(
==
==
6B64
G(.46
III# M==RUT
Minority concentration district+ Meerut Category+ ; 0ub6category+ ;(
;ac7*ardness parameters of district *or7ed out from Census -&&( data#
==
;asic $menities
0ocio6economic
0ational -verage
I6.B
I.F
?istrict -verage
6.
G.G
1opulation data of district as per Census -&&(+
Religion
-ll religions 8uslims &hristians %ihs #uddhists 2arsis Total 8inority
1opulation
GB4J6
H o!er total population
==
BB6
4G.
BIG(
(.G
GJI4I
(.FF
GBJ
(.(
==
==
6(6G44F
44.BB
I3# $JI$;$D Minority concentration district+ haAiabad Category+ ; 0ub6category+ ;(
;ac7*ardness parameters of district *or7ed out from Census -&&( data#
==
;asic $menities
0ocio6economic
0ational -verage
I6.B
I.F
?istrict -verage
F.J
4(.4
1opulation data of district as per Census -&&(+
Religion
-ll religions 8uslims &hristians %ihs #uddhists 2arsis Total 8inority
1opulation
4G(FJ
H o!er total population
==
BFG6
G4.B
FF(
(.GB
G6(6B
(.JI
4GF
(.6(
==
==
F6J(4
GI.F(
3# ;$R=IEEK
Minority concentration district+ ;areilly Category+ $ ;ac7*ardness parameters of district *or7ed out from Census -&&( data#
==
;asic $menities
0ocio6economic
0ational -verage
I6.B
I.F
?istrict -verage
I(.B
G.
1opulation data of district as per Census -&&(+
Religion
1opulation
H o!er total population
-ll religions
4J6FF
8uslims
6GG4JFJ
44.F
GJ
(.GJ
GFB6
(.F(
B444
(.G(
==
==
6GB6
4.6
&hristians %ihs #uddhists 2arsis Total 8inority
==
3I# F=RI Minority concentration district+ Fheri Category+ $ ;ac7*ardness parameters of district *or7ed out from Census -&&( data#
==
;asic $menities
0ocio6economic
0ational -verage
I6.B
I.F
?istrict -verage
GJ.I
G.I
1opulation data of district as per Census -&&(+
Religion
-ll religions 8uslims
1opulation
H o!er total population
4G(BG4G
==
J6GJ4F
6.6(
4BI(
(.6G
%ihs
FI6B
G.JI
#uddhists
G66JI
(.JJ
==
==
BGG(
GG.6
&hristians
2arsis Total 8inority
3II# MUJ$44$RN$$R Minority concentration district+ MuAaffarnagar Category+ ; 0ub6category+ ;( ;ac7*ardness parameters of district *or7ed out from Census -&&( data#
== 0ational -verage ?istrict -verage
1opulation data of district as per Census -&&(+
Religion
1opulation
H o!er total population
-ll religions
4I44JG
8uslims
64IJG
4F.(
44(4
(.(
6FF
(.I
G4J
(.(B
==
==
64BIGFJ
4F.BF
&hristians %ihs #uddhists 2arsis Total 8inority
==
3III# 1IEI;IT Minority concentration district+ 1ilibhit Category+ $ ;ac7*ardness parameters of district *or7ed out from Census -&&( data#
== 0ational -verage ?istrict -verage
1opulation data of district as per Census -&&(+
Religion
-ll religions 8uslims &hristians %ihs #uddhists 2arsis Total 8inority
1opulation
6JI6F4
H o!er total population
==
4(BB4
G4.B
6BFB
(.66
BIB
I.
6FGF
(.66
==
==
IJFJB
GF.J
