Answer The Following Question.
1. List two Fundamental Rights in the Constitution that Dalits can draw upon to insist that they be treated with dignity and as equals.
Ans : The two Fundamental Rights that Dalits can draw upon are:
Right to Equality: All individuals are equal before the law, and no one can be discriminated against based on their caste, religion, or socioeconomic background. This includes equal access to public spaces and opportunities.
Right to Freedom: Dalits have the right to freedom from exploitation, which ensures that they are not subjected to forced labor, human trafficking, or degrading treatment, affirming their dignity and equality.
2. Re-read the story on Rathnam as well as the provisions of the 1989 Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Now list one reason why you think he used this law to file a complaint.
Ans : Rathnam used the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 to file a complaint because the law aims to protect Dalits and Adivasis from humiliation, discrimination, and violence inflicted by dominant castes. Rathnam sought legal protection to challenge and stop the abuse and ill-treatment he faced in his village.
3. Why do Adivasi activists, including C.K. Janu, believe that Adivasis can also use this 1989 Act to fight against dispossession? Is there anything specific in the provisions of the Act that allows her to believe this?
Ans : Adivasi activists, including C.K. Janu, believe that Adivasis can use the 1989 Act to fight against dispossession because the Act protects them from being forcibly removed from their lands and resources. This is supported by the constitutional provisions stating that tribal land cannot be sold or transferred to non-tribal people. The Act strengthens these rights by allowing Adivasis to reclaim land that has been wrongfully taken from them, thereby safeguarding their access to traditional land and resources.