Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 20 July 2019 - 3 minutes read
The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Attorney-General of India to be served a copy of a writ petition filed by advocate AshwiniUpadhyay, who is seeking directions to the government to either frame guidelines for identification of minorities at States’ level or, in the alternative, to “declare Hindus as ‘Minority’ for States where they are real minority”.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India RanjanGogoi was hearing the petitioner, represented by senior advocate MukulRohatgi, challenging a notification issued on October 23, 1993 under the “unbridled powers” of Section 2(c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act of 1992.
The petition said the October 1993 notification declared Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis as ‘Minority’ community without conducting any study, research or homework.
According to the petition minority benefits are given to religious communities in certain States where they are in fact a majority, whereas religious communities which are actually minorities in those States are not even given equal status.
“Denial of minority rights to real minorities and arbitrary/unreasonable disbursement of minority benefits to the majority, infringes upon fundamental right to prohibition of discrimination,” the petition said.
The Protection of Human Rights(Amendment) Bill 2019 has been passed by voice vote in LokSabha today.
In his reply in the House, the minister of State for Home Affairs NityanandRai said that the Government is sensitive to the rights of humanity and is committed to strengthen Human Rights Commission in the country.
He negated the allegation that India’s Human Rights Commission has lost its good grade and informed that it is given ‘A’ grade by the international agency.
Saying that it was Prime Minister NarendraModi who suggested to increase the presence of civil Society in the Commission, the minister emphasised that every section of the society has now received representation.
He further added that they are not for Human rights of terrorists and perpetrators of sexual crime but of the victims. He stressed that the amendment has ensured transparency in the appointment of Chairman and members of the Commission and will help fill all the vacancies. The OBCs and minorities rights, he added, have been protected by the Government.
Source: Iasexamportal.com
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