An Indian court has de-nied Christians of Dalit origin legal protections meant for lower caste people, saying a person who converted to Chri-stianity cannot claim to be a member of a lower caste group. The Andhra Pradesh High Court, the highest court in the southern Indian state, issued the ruling in an appeal challenging criminal proceedings against a group of non-Christians, based on a complaint by a Protestant pastor. The pastor, who comes from the Dalit community, officially referred to as Scheduled Caste people, filed the complaint in January 2021 against a group of people who allegedly abused him, violating clauses of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
India’s poor deserve better than this
Concerns are being raised about whether the needs of poor and marginalized communities in India are receiving enough attention in current government policies. Observers say
