Constitutional Safeguards for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes

For centuries past, Shudras, now termed as ‘Scheduled Castes’ and ‘Scheduled Tribes’, have suffered immense humiliation at the hands of the remaining three varnas, namely, Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas, and relegated to the lowest rung of the ladder. The constitution-makers realised this and bestowed certain extra benefits and facilities not available to the other three classes of the society. These were: reservation in government jobs and seats in legislatures, abolition of untouchability, prevention of atrocities, grant of land tenures and forest rights, admission to educational institutions, etc. The book has scanned all these measures-legal, executive and judicial-with a view to examine how far the benefits and facilities intended to be conferred on SCs/STs have actually been made available to them. The author has also thrown certain suggestions for the parliament, the judiciary, the executive, the media, the society and finally the SCs/STs themselves, with the ultimate object of ensuring that the unity and integrity of the country is not disrupted in an overzealous attempt to ameliorate the lot of these downtrodden people.