NCCI & TCC Concerted Voice Against 1950 Presidential Order

 

The National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) and Telangana Council of Churches (TCC) together, in association and collaboration with United Christmas Celebration Committee & Catholic Association of Hyderabad organised a meeting on 08 April 2026 at Press Club, Basheerbagh, Hyderabad. I was also invited for this event through Prof Nageswara Rao Akumarthi, Head, Department of Political Science, Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), Hyderabad and Mr Sleeva Galilee, a prominent longstanding Dalit Catholic activist in Hyderabad. My invitation to this gathering was based on my academic specialisation and long standing research on caste and religious minorities in India. 

This was the invitation sent to me over whats-app following a personal telephone call. 

Though the meeting was scheduled to be started at 05:30 pm, it almost start around 07:00 pm and lasted close to 09:00 pm. Apart from expected speakers and notified guest speakers, the stage was also occupied by un-intimated speakers. Additionally, even a few among the audience were also provided with an opportunity to speak and share their version of opinions. 

Full occupation of seats on the dais. 

Prof Nathaniel, Department of Physics, Osmania University, sharing his thoughts. 

Dr Gade Pedarattaiah, Anthropological Society of Humankind, one among the audience sharing this thoughts on the dais upon invitation. 

The prime moto behind this meet was to respond to the recent Supreme Court of India's verdict with reference to the Scheduled Castes converts (Dalits) to Christianity, which attracted undue significant sensational limelight attention in the current-affairs. A Dalit pastor from Guntur/Bapatla district, who faced discrimination from a Reddy person for his religious activity fought a case under Prevention of Atrocities against Scheduled Castes domain. Legally, dalit converts to religions like Christianity and Islam are not extended benefits of regular Scheduled Caste sections like those in the religious fold of Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. This legal obstacle was placed through  the 1950 Constitutional Order. Some of the prominent organisations like the NCCI is at the forefront in fighting against this 1950 Presidential Order, which is also popularly referred as Constitutional Order of 1950. The selective discriminative practice against Christian converts from Scheduled Castes background was much critiqued as against the secular credentials of the Constitution of India and demands to amend / repeal the same Order has been a known fact. Due to the recent Supreme Court of India's verdict this issue has come up in the news and undue negative sensation has been escalated by certain sections and media houses against Dalit Christians. The present meeting by NCC and TCC was organised in this light of this recent limelight activity. 

Released appeal statement on this occasion is in this format and mode. 

 

Names of the notified speakers and expected guests were mentioned in the banner. However, persons like Prof C Kaseem failed to turn-up and more persons were invited to occupy seats on the dais, whose names were not mentioned on the banner. 

Advocate Putta Padma Rao stressed the need to adopt constitutional terminology of 'Scheduled Caste Christians' and avoid Dalit Christians usage. Mr Irfan Khan spoke extensively by drawing attention to the relational inter-relationship to Special Intensive Revision (SIR), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and digital census. This aspect was, in some-sense, odd to the notified theme. However, substantive time was allocated to Mr Irfan Khan to speak on this theme. Mr Sleeva Galilee stressed the need, if required, to fight legal battles even at local levels, instead of directly fighting legal battles at the Supreme Court of India range. As a result, Rev Dr T Bhaskar and Mr Sleeva Galilee stressed the need to have a strong legal team.

 

Speaking on the occasion Prof Nageswara Rao Akumarthi, physically showed a few copies of relevant documents to the gathering and stressed need to repeal the 1950 Presidential Order. Further, he stressed that the Scheduled Castes reservation should be made as a religious neutral category, as stressed by a researcher. However, he failed to mention which scholar/s highlighted the need to turn Scheduled Castes reservation as a religious neutral domain! 

Dr Gade Pedarataiah, as a Anthropologist drawn attention to the past Census records and how different sections got enumerated under different sects, though they should have been enumerated into a single other domain, with reference to the ex-untouchables / Scheduled Castes / Depressed Castes / Dalits. Further, he went-on to share his personal experience that due to moral compulsions he took BC - C identity, though, he should be belonging to the SC identity.  

Dr Santhi Swaroop Sirapangi touched upon three aspects, related to who constitute Dalit Christians? Is that exclusively BC - C? And, how to understand the position of SC (Hindu) Christians? Why there has been failure to have proper political socialisation between BC - C and SC (Hindu) Christians? Also, he critiqued BC - C Christians separate exclusive political aspirations, devoid from having proper political socialisation with the existing prominent SC Christians. At last, he also stressed the need to opt path towards demanding repeal of the 1950 Constitutional Order but not request to amend the 1950 Constitutional Order to extend Scheduled Caste status to the Dalit Converts to Christianity. 

Though Prof C Kaseem failed to attend this event, his version of thought on this issue can be observed from his personal YouTube handle Prof C Kaseem Response to Recent Supreme Court of India Verdict Against Dalit Christians . 

The organisers informed that though they wished to host dinner to the entire gathering, due to lack of permission at the venue, a separate snack pack was handed to every attended person.