Policy

Supreme Court of India’s Verdict on SC/ST Classification: An Analytical Overview

Amir Hyder Khan In a pathbreaking judgement from the Supreme Court of India on 1 August 2024, the 7-judge constitutional bench led by Chief Justice of IndiaDr Justice D Y Chandrachud had stated that the sub-classification the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) was permissible. This judgment was welcomed by several political parties and …

Assertion

‘Before categorisation, policymakers need to understand the constitution and the scavenging communities’: Dr. Ratnesh Katulkar

~ This is the transcript of an interview of Dr. Ratnesh Katulkar by Suresh Ahirwar ~  The recent Supreme Court decision regarding the classification of reservations for Scheduled Castes and Tribes, along with the emphasis on adding a creamy layer to it has sparked both support and opposition. This issue primarily concerns the castes among …

Policy

No Fraternity (No Nation) without disempowerment of oppressors

Sagar Kamble The recent Supreme Court judgement that came out on dividing SC-STs reservation into subcategories and applying the creamy layer clause to their reservation is evidence of how the Upper caste people in India view the idea and mission of social justice. Instead of focusing on which caste groups, communities among the lower castes …

Features

Banksy’s Bristol, UK riots and the texture of subaltern life

Umar Nizar The graffiti superstar Banksy known for his politically charged work, has recently been playing it safe by making animal murals in the city of London, which is interesting in the light of the recent right wing hooliganism and rioting in the UK. Multiculturalism in the UK is a sham, and so is the …

Educate, Agitate, Organize

Parminder Kaur: A Wave of Confidence, Enthusiasm, and Hope

Dhamma Darshan Nigam Parminder came in contact with me when I organised a writing workshop in 2019, which she wanted to attend but could not. I had then created a WhatsApp group to share information about the workshop. Over the next year, almost everyone had left the group, but she remained there in the group. …

Features

The Sanskritisation of Ambedkarite Buddhism: A Critique

 Vaibhav Kharat The conversion of the Mahar community to Buddhism under the leadership of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was a significant socio-religious movement aimed at escaping the oppressive caste system entrenched in Hinduism. However, as a student of Sociology, my recent observations suggest that certain practices within the converted Mahar Buddhist community reflect a form of …