Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network—Mangalore(MD)
 
Mangalore, Jan 17: “Refugees of Sri Lanka should not get an SC/ST certificate at any cost. They should not get the benefits of reservation by treating them as Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes," said C H Bhaskar, Dakshina Kannada Dalita Sanghatane Okkuta, during the press meet held on Thursday January 16 at Hotel Woodlands, Mangalore.
 
He said, "The Government of Karnataka had issued various instructions over the years for the caste certificate issuing authorities in the districts as to the precautions they need to take to ensure that ineligible persons do not get the caste certificates and also to ensure that the eligible applicants are not put to any hardship. In connection with avoiding hardship to the eligible applicants, the instructions issued by the government and the department of social welfare from time to time had caused some confusion and also in some cases these instructions were challenged on the ground that they were discriminatory."

"In such proceedings, the honourable High Court of Karnataka also opined that as the list of scheduled caste/scheduled tribes notified by the Government of India, only the central government is competent to issue any instructions regarding the manner of issue of caste certificates and the state government cannot substitute its instructions for the central government's instructions. And the state government is not following the
orders of the central government. They are taking all matters in their own hands,” said Bhaskar.
 
"The state government should not give the SC/ST certificate to Sri Lankans who claim that they are from Tamil Nadu,” he stressed.
 
Dalit committee leaders Ashok Konchady, Mallikarjun Kodikal, Chandrakumar, and Nirmal Kumar were present.