Social worker asks HC to drop dalit’ word from govt records

NAGPUR: A social worker moved the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court with a prayer to drop word ‘dalit’ from all government records, circulars, notifications, and schemes. He also demanded that the social and print media be restrained from using the word in the interest of justice.
A division bench of Justice Bhushan Dharmadhikari and Justice Atul Chandurkar on Monday issued notices to the respondents that include joint secretary of Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry asking them to file reply in three weeks.Press Council of India (PCI) secretary in Delhi, Maharashtra’s chief secretary in Mumbai, and State Urban Development Department’s principal secretary are also respondents in the PIL filed by Pankaj Meshram.
The petitioner, who is secretary of Vidarbha Pradesh, through his counsel SR Narnaware contended that using the word ‘dalit’ is unconstitutional, discriminatory, offending, casteist and highly objectionable. He demanded restraining the respondents from using it in any form which is also a violation of Articles 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, and 341 of the Constitution of India.
Citing Supreme Court’s clear directives in case of SP Gupta versus President of India, reported in AIR 1982, he said specific directives were given to the respondents to delete the word from all the government record, but those were yet to be implemented.
The petitioner further quoted Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, who also expressed his views regarding the usage of word terming it as objectionable, offending and illusory. His views can be found in a book titled ‘The Writing and Speeches of Dr BR Ambedkar’, where had once stated that ‘dalit’ word shouldn’t be used for any purpose. Even the Scheduled Caste Commission had declared the word unconstitutional.
Meshram made several representations to the respondents to delete the word ‘dalit’ from records and also from all schemes of government but no positive steps were taken by the respondents till date.
He added that the high court being a custodian of the Constitution of India should intervene in the issue by invoking its extraordinary jurisdiction under Article 226 for issuing specific directives to the respondents for deleting the word ‘dalit’ and also restraining its use in future. He demanded further directives to the Urban Department’s principal secretary to decided on his representation of December 7, 2013, where he asked for replacing the word from all the government schemes and also to substitute the word Scheduled Caste and Neo-Bouddhas.