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| Edited By: |Source: DNA |Updated: Jul 14, 2018, 07:05 AM IST
The false sense of superiority that the priestly class revels in has again been punctured, this time by the Uttarakhand High Court that ordered that upper caste priests do not have the option of not performing puja rituals for the lower castes.
By the dint of the sacred thread, Brahmins had enjoyed a carte blanche for millennia. By virtue of occupying the zenith of the caste pyramid as a birthright, they had oppressed Dalits and other lower castes and practised untouchability – one of the worst abuses of human rights.
Even after independence, caste system is rife, evident in the violence against Dalits. In the true spirit of equality, enshrined in the Constitution, the HC has observed that anybody can be a priest, provided the person has the requisite knowledge and training.
By doing so, the Court has rubbished the myth of caste-based primacy. It’s shocking that some priests can have the audacity to refuse devotees at the altar of god. And, yet, they claim to be descendants of a superior force.
Casteism is a man-made evil that has survived because it’s hardwired into the Indian psyche. It has almost become as natural as patriarchy in the way it is still enforced in certain parts of the country. This is the sort of identity politics that has been the root cause of a fractured society.
The Court struck at the very heart of a calcified tradition when it came to the rescue of Rajasthan-based petitioners belonging to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities who had filed a PIL in 2016. While our courts have repeatedly stood up against any violation of individual rights and liberties, the same cannot be said of politicians who thrive on caste politics. No wonder, India’s progress has been painfully slow.
