Justice Ranganath Misra Commission report ‘myopic’, Centre tells Supreme Court

New Delhi, December 7

The Centre on Wednesday told the Supreme Court it had not accepted the Justice Ranganath Misra Commission report (2007) that favoured extending the benefit of reservation to Dalits who had converted to Islam and Christianity, saying it was written without any field studies.

The report

• The Justice Ranganath Misra Commission report (2007) favoured extending reservation benefits to Dalits who had converted to Islam, Christianity.
• Solicitor General informs the top court that the Centre has appointed a new commission.

During hearing on petitions seeking Scheduled Caste status for Dalits who have converted to Christianity and Islam, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the top court that the Centre had appointed a new commission headed by former CJI KG Balakrishnan to examine the matter.

A Bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said it would first decide if it should wait for the report of the newly appointed commission report or proceed on the basis of material already on record, posting the matter for further hearing in January next.

Maintaining that untouchability was not prevalent in the Christian and Islamic societies, the Centre has opposed petitions seeking SC status for Dalits who have converted to Christianity and Islam. In an affidavit filed in the top court last month, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment submitted, “The Constitution (Scheduled Caste) Order, 1950, was based on historical data which clearly established that no such backwardness or oppression was ever faced by members of Christian or Islamic society.”

The Centre said the Justice Misra Commission took a myopic view of social environment in India.