Who are “minorities” in India?
What rights do they have?
What national and international laws are there to safeguard their rights?
The protection of the minorities gradually evolved and came to be covered within the concept of human rights and fundamental freedoms as enshrined in the United Nations Charter. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 declares that “all human beings are equal in dignity and rights” and prohibit all kinds of discrimination—racial, religious, etc. This was incorporated in Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as: “In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities exist, persons belonging to such minorities shall not be denied the right, in community with other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion, or use their own language.”
When speaking about India, we know that India is a colorful conglomeration of numerous races, religions, sects, languages, scripts, culture and traditions, with varying differences in dress, food habits, worship, customs, culture and language. Therefore, the need to protect the interests of the minorities was felt even from the pre-independence era onwards. The vulnerability of the minorities was recognized. In the draft constitution of 1928 by Motilal Nehru, religious and cultural rights of the minorities and their protection were recognized. Emphasizing the importance of protecting the minorities, Jawaharlal Nehru stated the following;
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Sr Tresa Paul SCSC
