The Allahabad High Court’s significant ruling against the use of caste in police documentation in everyday policing and the monitoring of caste stickers on vehicles is a meaningful moment for a challenge to structural discrimination which exists discretely in the daily function of the state. In renouncing caste from identifying and documenting law enforcement issues in day to day business the court has reaffirmed the constitutional values of equality, dignity and secularism.
The ruling also reminds us that where caste has been noted unnecessarily, caste enables warmer prejudice, perpetuates stereotypes and works towards unjust discrimination against person or groups of persons. The Court’s orders seeking to remove caste annotations of FIRs, memos, and police station records, unless required by law as contained in the SC/ST Act, signify a conscious attempt to separate identity from justice so that all citizens are referred to first as citizens, and not first by their caste identity.
The decision regarding caste symbols on motor vehicles is also notable. For years, caste has found its way behind the wheel isolated from the vehicle by stickers, badges, or slogans signs of caste that symbolize stratification or division, and are sometimes conflated with pride. The Court’s ordered modifications to traffic and vehicle regulations to eliminate caste notes in sticker or slogan form are an attempt to curtail the public display of caste that detracts from the commonality of unity and equality.
The ruling reaches into the era of digital technologies by endorsing harsher regulation to prevent hate and division that stem from glorification of caste through online dissemination, and directing law enforcement agencies to impose stricter regulation under the IT Act and online media standards. The Court signals that caste oppression, so widely displayed in vehicles, documented by law enforcement, or visible on social media, should be obstructed whenever possible.
The ruling will undoubtedly be difficult to enforce from procedural formats within agencies to stronger historical and cultural norms, but it is a good initial step. If implemented, it could be an ideal vision for the police to facilitate citizen oversight of encounters with the police with equity and impartiality.
Case Details: Praveen Chetri vs. State of UP & Another
Click HERE for full judgment
Written By: Anushka Singh
Lawcutor 