NACDAOR Calls for Bharat Bandh over Marginalised Community Rights

Dalit and Adivasi organisations, under NACDAOR, have called for a 'Bharat Bandh' to demand stronger representation and protection for marginalized communities. Their demands include new legislation for reservations, immediate release of caste-based employee data, and filling of backlog vacancies in public sectors.

Dalit and Adivasi organisations have declared a 'Bharat Bandh' on Wednesday to press for enhanced representation and protection for marginalized communities. The National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR) has listed demands aimed at ensuring justice and equity for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

This move comes in direct opposition to a recent Supreme Court verdict by a seven-judge bench, which NACDAOR claims undermines a landmark ruling from the Indira Sawhney case. The organization is urging the government to reject this verdict, arguing it jeopardizes the constitutional rights of SCs and STs.

NACDAOR is calling for the enactment of new legislation on reservations for SCs, STs, and OBCs, to be protected by inclusion in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, thus shielding these provisions from judicial review. Additional demands include releasing caste-based data on employees in government services and ensuring 50 percent representation from these groups in the higher judiciary.

The organization's other demands include filling backlog vacancies in both central and state government departments and public sector undertakings. Furthermore, they advocate for private sector companies benefiting from government incentives to adopt affirmative action policies. NACDAOR has called upon Dalits, Adivasis, and OBCs to join a peaceful protest on Wednesday.