Minority rights

ByArun Prakash

B.A criminology and police administrationm

Definition

• Minority rights are the normal individual rights as applied to members of racial, ethnic, class, religious, linguistic or sexual minorities; and also the collective rights accorded to minority groups.

Minorities in India

• According to National commission of Minorities, members from following six religion belong to religious minorities. – Muslims– Christians– Sikhs– Buddhists– Zoroastrians (Parsis)– Jains

Why minority rights are important?

• They are numerically less, hence they are vulnerable. Because majority can easily abuse minority

• If a State can ensure minority rights it means every other person in majority also enjoys the rights

International Instruments on minority rights

• Article 27 of ICCPR• Article 27 In those States in which ethnic,

religious or linguistic minorities exist, persons belonging to such minorities shall not be denied the right, in community with the other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practise their own religion, or to use their own language.

UN Declaration of 18th December 1992

• In order to strengthen the cause of the minorities, the United Nations promulgated the “Declaration on the Rights of Persons belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities” on 18th December 1992 proclaiming that:

• “States shall protect the existence of the National or Ethnic, Cultural, Religious and Linguistic identity of minorities within their respective territories and encourage conditions for the promotion of that identity.”

National Instruments for Minority rights

• Article 29, 30 of Indian Constitution• right of ‘any section of the citizens’ to ‘conserve’

its ‘distinct language, script or culture’; [Article 29(1)]

• No citizen shall be denied admission into any educational institution maintained by the State or receiving aid out of State funds on grounds only of religion, race, caste, language or any of them.[Article 29(2)]

• Right of all Religious and Linguistic Minorities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice;[Article 30(1)]

• The State shall not, in granting aid to educational institutions, discriminate against any educational institution on the ground that it is under the management of a minority, whether based on religion or language.[Article30(2)]

National Commission for Minorities

1. evaluate the progress of the development of Minorities under the Union and States.

2. monitor the working of the safeguards provided in the Constitution and in laws enacted by Parliament and the State Legislatures.

3. make recommendations for the effective implementation of safeguards for the protection of the interests of Minorities by the Central Government or the State Governments.

4. look into specific complaints regarding deprivation of rights and safeguards of the Minorities and take up such matters with the appropriate authorities.

5. cause studies to be undertaken into problems arising out of any discrimination against Minorities and recommend measures for their removal.

6. conduct studies, research and analysis on the issues relating to socio-economic and educational development of Minorities.

7. suggest appropriate measures in respect of any Minority to be undertaken by the Central Government or the State Governments.

8. make periodical or special reports to the Central Government on any matter pertaining to Minorities and in particular the difficulties confronted by them.

• The National Commission for Minorities has been observing the 18th December as a Minorities Rights Day every year.

Violations of minority rights

• Communal violence– Muzzafarnagar riots – Hindu fundamentalists

attacking Islamic minorties(2013)– Dadri Lynching

• Violence against sexual minorities i. e., violations against trans genders

Recommendations

• To broaden the framework for minorities. Presently, the Central government considers only religious minorities. This is a narrow mindset. “Transgenders” shall be included as minorities and steps shall be for their holistic development.

• Secular nature and brotherhood shall be rooted in the minds of all citizens