The Kerala High Court has imposed a cost of Rs 25,000 on the Hindu Sevakendram, while dismissing a petition seeking to declare that Muslims, Latin Catholics, Christian Nadars and Scheduled Castes converted to any denomination in Christianity are not entitled to be treated as backward classes.
The state court directed the Eranakulam based Sevakendram to deposit the amount in the bank account created for providing financial aid to children in the state suffering from rare diseases within one month, reported Indian Express.
The petitioner Sreekumar Mankuzhy, Treasurer, Hindu Sevakendram told court that Muslims and certain sections of Christians are provided with reservation in education, as well as in jobs, in the state, treating them as socially and educationally backward, though the majority of them are not socially or educationally backward. Socially and educationally backward Hindus suffered in Kerala, the Hindu organisation alleged.
The court noted that as per the National Commission for Minorities Act, the central government has recognised six religious communities — Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains as minority communities. Thus, in the light of Constitutional and statutory provisions, it is clear that certain communities have been recognised and treated as minorities, SC/STs, backward and other backward communities, and accordingly, reservation is provided by the state and central governments.
“We are unable to comprehend how the petitioner has sought a declaration that Muslims, Latin Catholics, Christian Nadars and Scheduled Castes, converted to any denomination in Christianity, are not entitled to be treated as backward classes,” New Indian Express quoted the Division Bench as observing.
The Kerala High Court also rejected the plea to stop all the financial aid given to those communities for educational and other social welfare activities based on the Sachar Committee and Paloli Committee reports.
