Human Rights and Dignity of Dalits – A Chimera

Abstract

(Human rights do not mean merely the right to live with humanity but mean the right to live with dignity. A dignified life is one that is free from social handicaps, prejudices and biases on the basis of caste, creed or gender. The aim of any civilized society is to secure dignity to every individual. There cannot be dignity without equality in status and opportunity.The Constitution of India provides for equality provision but it is often held, particularly by Indian human rights groups and activities that members of the dalit& untouchable caste have suffered and continue to suffer substantial discrimination.
Although the Indian Constitution does not recognize the caste system, caste still wields considerable influence, especially in rural India, where the caste you are born largely determines your social standing in the community. According to tradition, caste is the basic social structure of Hindu society. This paper tries to find out the position of untouchables and why they face the denial of dignity and their basic human rights despite extensive Constitutional and legal protections?)