Broadening Representation: Call for Diverse NCM Chairpersons

The Delhi High Court dismissed a plea seeking diverse representation in the National Commission for Minorities, emphasizing that the NCM Act mandates minority community members without specifying any particular group. The court allowed the petitioner to present the matter to the government for further consideration.

The Delhi High Court has declined to consider a plea aimed at diversifying the representation within the National Commission for Minorities (NCM). The petitioner had sought the appointment of chairpersons from minority communities apart from Muslims and Sikhs.

Chief Justice DK Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, while reviewing the case, noted that according to Section 3 of the NCM Act, the commission is required to include members from minority communities but does not specify the appointment from any particular group as chairperson. The Act stipulates a chairperson, a vice chairperson, and five members, who must belong to minority communities, but it does not restrict their specific identities.

The court advised the petitioner to approach the government to pursue the issue further. The plea highlighted that historically, 14 Muslims and two Sikhs have served as the NCM chairpersons, with other minority communities like Christians, Buddhists, Zoroastrians, and Jains not represented in this role.

(With inputs from agencies.)