SC refuses to hear plea for minority status based on state-wise population

The Supreme Court Thursday refused to entertain a plea seeking to define the word ‘minority’ and laying of guidelines to accord minority status based on state-wise population of a particular community.

A bench of Justices R F Nariman and S Ravindra Bhat allowed advocate and BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay to withdraw the plea with the liberty to approach the appropriate forum for the relief. 

During the hearing, senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for Upadhyay, said that the word ‘minority’ needs to be defined and guidelines need to be laid for their identification at state level in accordance with the apex court verdict of 2002. The expression ‘minority’ has been used in Articles 29 and 30 of the Constitution but it has nowhere been defined, he said.

As per the Census of 2011, Hindus are actual minority in Laddakh, Mizoram, Lakshdweep, Kashmir, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab and Manipur, Singh said.

The bench said if the petitioner has any remedy, then it lies somewhere else not in the apex court.

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