Dalit Christians stage protest at Jantar Mantar, seek SC status

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the Bankers’ Books Evidence Bill, 2026, will create a technology-neutral framework for banking records by recognising electronic and digital documents, standardising certification and enabling their admissibility, validity and enforceability as evidence in courts

Hyderabad: Dalit Christians from Telangana staged a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Monday, demanding repeal of the 1950 Presidential Order and extension of Scheduled Caste (SC) status to Dalit Christians. The protest, which was organised by the Telangana Christian Joint Action Committee, drew a large number of Dalit Christian organisations and political parties.

BRS Parliamentary Party leader Vaddiraju Ravichandra and the party general secretary RS Praveen Kumar extended solidarity with the protesters, assuring the party’s support to their demand.

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Speaking on the occasion, Ravichandra said the 1950 Presidential Order had denied Dalit Christians access to SC reservations, resulting in injustice in education and employment. He recalled that the K Chandrashekhar Rao government passed a resolution in the Telangana Assembly seeking SC status for Dalit Christians and sent it to the Centre. He said the BRS had also submitted a report to the Justice Balakrishnan Commission and would continue to fight for the community’s rights.

BRS general secretary RS Praveen Kumar said religious conversion did not erase caste-based discrimination. Referring to the Karamchedu and Chunduru incidents, he said Dalits continued to face discrimination even after conversion into Christianity. He questioned the exclusion of Dalit Christians from reservations while other communities could retain reservation benefits after conversion.

Former Telangana Foods chairman Mede Rajeev Sagar termed August 10, when the 1950 Presidential Order was issued, as a Black Day. He demanded that the Centre introduce a Bill granting SC status to Dalit Christians during the ongoing Parliament session.

Prof. Gali Vinod Kumar said the movement will continue until SC status was granted, demanding an immediate legislative intervention. Several other speakers cited constitutional guarantees of equality and religious freedom and alleged that restricting SC status on religious grounds was discriminatory and unconstitutional. Christian leaders and representatives of various organisations also participated in the protest.