We must accept that caste system still pervades our society: Justice DY Chandrachud

Caste system still pervades our society and we must come face to face with that reality and try to secure justice to those who have been discriminated based on caste, Supreme Court judge Justice DY Chandrachud said on Tuesday.

He opined that to know about the ground reality, interaction with people who faced such discrimination is necessary.

"We must come face to face with that discrimination that still permeates and pervades in our society and to find justice to those who are discriminated on the ground of caste. I think that is far more important than anything else," he said.

Justice Chandrachud was delivering the inaugural talk at the Office of Diversity and Inclusion of Indian Institute of technology (IIT) Delhi on the topic 'Realising Diversity -Making Differences matter in Higher Education'.

The judge was specifically responding to a question from the audience on how to end caste discrimination prevalent in the society.

To this Justice Chandrachud replied that he doesn't intend to show disrespect to the question but the whole theme that caste must be eliminated is very often perceived to be a theme which the upper caste propagates.

He said that to know the reality of caste, we must talk to people who have been subject to discrimination, to stigmatization and assaults on the grounds of caste.

"Caste defines their identity and everyday of their lives they are reminded of their castes by the perpetrators of those who practices discrimination on the ground of caste," the judge added.

The answer, he said, is not to make a casteless society but to empower those who have been subjected to centuries of discrimination.

"That discrimination still continues as we just heard several examples from our day to day lives," he said.

The answer must lie in us being aware of extent of discrimination on the basis of caste which still is perpetrated in our society today, he added.

[Watch the full speech below]