Recognition Of Minorities At The District level:
The Supreme court has pronounced that recognition of minorities at the district level is contrary to law.
- SC in Kerela Education Bill Case, 1958 had rejected that minorities be identified at the block or district level.
SC in 2008 had said that Linguistic and religious minorities are determined by taking the state as a unit and not at the national level. - Currently, only those communities notified under section 2(c) of the NCM (National Commission for Minorities) Act, 1992, by the central government are regarded as a minority.
- The Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains (in 2014) have been notified as minority communities.
- Constitution doesn’t define the word ‘minorities’
- Article 29 (Right to conserve distinct language, script and culture): It grants protection to both religious as well as linguistic minorities. Its scope is not necessarily restricted to minorities only.
- Article 30 (Right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice): The protection under it is confined only to minorities (religious or linguistic).
- Article 350-B (provides for a Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities appointed by the President of India)
