Hindus are not minority in Jammu-Kashmir: Government tells SC

Srinagar: The BJP-PDL coalition government of Jammu & Kashmir today informed the Supreme Court that the government did not classify Hindus as minorities and that minorities are recognized in line with the table of the Central government.

The government filed an affidavit to this effect, in response to a petition demanding that Hindus be considered minorities in Kashmir and seven other states. It also said that the benefits of the central schemes will be available to those meeting the qualifying requirements prescribed by the Centre. The affidavit also states that the minorities listed in the able released by the union government in 1993 includes Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Parsis; Jains were included later in 2014. Since Hindus have not been recognized as part of this group, members of the Hindu society are not eligible for such schemes.

The communities eligible for schemes declared by the central government for minority development, are those listed as per the notification issued for Jammu-Kashmir, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Punjab and Lakshadweep. If any community in the table becomes a majority, then their share will be set aside for others, the government informed the court.