The Delhi High Court today issued notice in Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay's petition seeking a direction to frame guidelines for the identification of the term "minority" at the state level..The petition seeks to define "minority" at the state level to ensure that only those religious and linguistic groups which are socially economically and politically non-dominant and numerically very inferior enjoy rights and protections guaranteed under Articles 29 and 30 of the Constitution of India..Notice was issued to the Central Government by Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar..The petitioner claims that Hindus are minority in Ladakh, Mizoram, Lakshadweep, Kashmir, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab and Manipur. However, they cannot establish educational institutions of their choice in spirit of Article 30(1)..It adds that while Muslims are majority in Lakshadweep, Kashmir and Ladakh and constitute a significant population in Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Goa and Haryana, they are treated as minority under Articles 29-30..Further, Christians are majority in Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya and there is significant population in Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Andaman, Kerala, Sikkim and Puducherry. But they are treated as minority under Articles 29-30, it is stated..Similarly, Sikhs are majority in Punjab and there is significant population in Chandigarh, Haryana and Delhi, but they are treated as minority, the petition adds..The matter will be heard next on May 4.
The Delhi High Court today issued notice in Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay's petition seeking a direction to frame guidelines for the identification of the term "minority" at the state level..The petition seeks to define "minority" at the state level to ensure that only those religious and linguistic groups which are socially economically and politically non-dominant and numerically very inferior enjoy rights and protections guaranteed under Articles 29 and 30 of the Constitution of India..Notice was issued to the Central Government by Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar..The petitioner claims that Hindus are minority in Ladakh, Mizoram, Lakshadweep, Kashmir, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab and Manipur. However, they cannot establish educational institutions of their choice in spirit of Article 30(1)..It adds that while Muslims are majority in Lakshadweep, Kashmir and Ladakh and constitute a significant population in Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Goa and Haryana, they are treated as minority under Articles 29-30..Further, Christians are majority in Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya and there is significant population in Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Andaman, Kerala, Sikkim and Puducherry. But they are treated as minority under Articles 29-30, it is stated..Similarly, Sikhs are majority in Punjab and there is significant population in Chandigarh, Haryana and Delhi, but they are treated as minority, the petition adds..The matter will be heard next on May 4.