SOCIO-ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ORDER KNOWN AS CONSTITUTION [SCHEDULED CASTES] ORDER 1950 IN THE LIFE OF DALITS IN KERALA

Untouchables, depressed class people, Chandalas or politically known as Dalits and officially recognized as Scheduled Castes in India are historically placed in different religions. They share a common history of oppression, economic deprivations and denial of human rights. Though they belong to different religions, their common cultural ancestry is an undeniable reality. The Presidential Order known as Constitution [Scheduled Castes] order 1950 limits the Scheduled Caste Status only to such untouchable people who profess Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism. The order excludes Dalit Muslim and Dalit Christian from the ambit of Scheduled caste status. The article problematizes the historical and political contexts in which the exclusion of certain castes happened and the contemporary historical realities that necessitate the inclusion of Dailit Christians and Dalit Muslims into the Scheduled Caste List and how the denial aborts political and cultural unity of Dalits across different religions.