Punjab SC Commission issues instructions to refrain from using word 'Dalit' for person belonging to Scheduled Caste
Sep 21, 2021
Chandigarh [India], September 21 : Taking notice of the word 'Dalit' being used for newly appointed Chief Minister Punjab Charanjit Singh Channi in social media pages and media, Tejinder Kaur, Chairperson Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission, on Tuesday issued instructions to not use nomenclature 'Dalit' to mark the identity of any person belonging to the Scheduled Castes.
Disclosing this here today, Kaur said that the nomenclature 'Dalit' does not find mention in the Constitution of India or any statute and moreover, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India has already directed all Chief Secretaries of the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations regarding the same.
She said that the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Gwalior Bench had passed an order dated January 15, 2018, and had directed, "The Central Government/State Government and its functionaries would refrain from using the nomenclature 'Dalit' for the members belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes as the same does not find mention in the Constitution of India or any statute."
She further said that following the direction of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, the Ministry of Social Justice and the empowerment of India directed all the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations to use the word "Scheduled Caste" instead of "Dalit" for the persons belonging to Schedule Castes.
Acting on the reports of violations being made by the various media groups, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry had also issued a notice to private satellite television channels by asking them to comply with an order passed earlier by the Bombay High Court to not use the word 'Dalit' in reports, she said.
Earlier, Kaur in a letter dated September 13, 2021, addressed to Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan, had also recommended renaming the villages, towns and other places which are presently named after castes and not use derogatory names such as Chamarheri etc. besides refraining from using the word 'Harijan' and 'Girijan' in official functioning by ensuring the strict compliance of the instructions issued earlier by the state government in the year 2017.
