Minority status for Hindus: Can’t decide now, says SC; central govt changes stance

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has said that it cannot rule on the issue of minority status to Hindus at present. The court directed the central government to hold talks with the states on the matter and allotted three months’ time for the same.

Meantime, the central government has changed its stance on the issue. The centre had initially said that the states can decide on granting minority status to Hindus.

However, now the union government is saying that the right to determine the minorities is vested with the centre itself. The centre’s change of stance was evident in an affidavit filed in response to a plea by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay.

“It is submitted that the question involved has far-reaching ramifications throughout the country and, therefore, any stand taken without detailed deliberations with the stakeholders may result in an unintended complication for the country”, stated the affidavit.

The central government had approached the Supreme Court in 2020 seeking minority status to the Hindus living in the states of Jammu Kashmir, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Punjab, Nagaland and Meghalaya.