Caste dynamics from the perspective of ex-untouchables has been theoretically revolved around the notions of purity of blood, creation and sustenance of hierarchies, excommunication and exercise of power based on the social construct of higher beings. While these core aspects have remain intact of caste as a mechanism, the operational part of investigating the material and spiritual components from the perspective of the oppressed groups have got seldom attention in the academia. Ambedkar dream project to annihilate caste from the surface through redistribution of resources did not materialise. Ambedkar’s clarion call of equality, liberty and fraternity through the establishment of social and political democracy has stuck with in the debates around reservation alone. In a neoliberal economy, the question of reservation has further been entangled in the access to space within educational institutions, employment and political spheres, while on the other end large chunk of land has been transferred into the hands of industrial houses without even settling the question of large scale landlessness. While the first part is extremely essential, the scope for upward mobility of the community as a whole gets limited. The second one gives better scope but has not been addressed despite the existence of laws like Land Ceiling Act and provisions for redistribution. This paper delves deep into the dynamics of caste, resource politics and the dichotomy of justice from the margins.

The social structure of a country plays an important role in the distribution/deprivation of environmental burdens/benefits. ‘Caste’ in India, like ‘race’ in the US, is a significant factor in environmental discrimination. It is the people from lower caste groups, the untouchables, who are being deprived of environmental benefits and share a disproportionate burden of the pollution. In spite of caste being a significant factor in environmental discriminations, the environmental discourses in India usually ignore or do not give adequate consideration to this aspect. The academicians or scholars engaged in the field are either intentionally or unconsciously turn a deaf ear towards this issue. This paper tries to prove how the untouchables in India are being deprived of environmental justice viz., denial of equitable access to natural resources and unequal implementation of the right to health because of their lower status in the casteist hierarchy. The main aim of the paper is to expose the gap in the field and to emphasize the vast scope of empirical studies regarding the issues. Though some of the issues set out in the paper are categorized under the broader concept of ‘untouchability’, an approach from environmental justice perspective is very effective to regain the lost rights.

This speculative paper argues that the caste system of India could be seen as a present-day remnant of 'tribal apartheid' which came into being when Indo-European warlike nomadic pastoralists overran and dominated an earlier urban Dravidian peoples. This form of discrimination based on identity is akin to racism. The enduring salience of caste and colour consciousness among Indians forms one of the great modern paradoxes that have resisted Indian governmental attempts to bring about social change. It is a truism that any statement made about India even when backed by some adduced facts can be immediately contradicted by equally probable deductions and countervailing information. This sense of intellectual confrontation has been heightened to painfully shrill levels of late, and everything is now being called into venomous political question and public debate. Paintings, literature, theatre, cinema, and even scholarly works on prehistory are seen as deliberate and malicious insults to one community or other. In such a charged social atmosphere, it is impossible to raise debates on the fraught question of the Indian Caste System without immediately igniting attack. Hence, most Indian scholars avoid exploring this question after routinely passing a comment condemning it, and decrying its continued social observance, though outlawed by law. However, because of its singularity as a socio-religious system, its discriminatory hold over the civic life of over two-hundred million people, and its constant fueling of heinous violence in India, the caste system deserves to be studied with whatever intellectual honesty is possible, and not only through the lens of inflamed bigoted passion, derogatory or defensive.

The paper examines the effect of caste system among Dalits in India. Casteism perpetuates hatred and oppressed Dalits in every dimension of life and its ramifications is horrendous. Since it is divinely sanction found in Hindu Shastras, standing against it becomes almost impossible. Many scholars and social activists put forth their viewpoint but remains mere academic discussion. The possible remedy of these issues is not to root out caste system but removing the traditional thinking of casteism through education, mixed marriage, economic equality and given dignity base on merit and humanity not on castes. The method and methodology imply is purely library research using books, articles, newspapers, etc. to bring out facts and figures.

A caste is one of the conventional four social strata into which Hindu society seperates its members. The scriptures from ancient India make reference to it. The four classes are the Brahmins (priestly people), the Kshatriyas (rulers, administrators, and warriors; also known as Rajanyas), the Vaishyas (artisans, merchants, businessmen, and farmers), and the Shudras are the lowest of the caste system (laboring classes). However, an individual of the lowest class in traditional Indian society falls outside of the Hindu caste system and is subject to severe social restrictions. This commentary is divided into three parts; the first part highlights the caste system, the second part examines the constitutional and legislative safeguards for them, and the third part illustrates the current social disparity of Dalits in India.

Under-educated, severely impoverished, and brutally exploited, Dalits struggle to provide for even their most basic daily needs. Dalits must also endure daily threats to their physical security from both state and private actors. The violence by upper-caste groups against Dalits have two major causes: the “untouchability” and discrimination upper-caste community members practice on a daily basis and the desire of upper-caste community members to protect their own entrenched status by preventing Dalit development and the fulfillment of Dalits’ rights. A review of the political, social, economic, and cultural status of Dalits in India shows the State Party to be in violation of its obligation to respect, protect, and ensure Convention rights to all individuals in its jurisdiction. India routinely denies Dalits the rights and privileges that many of its other citizens take for granted. An attempt has been made in this paper to high light the issues and problems of India as a country that has failed in its duty to eliminate caste discrimination and ensure the full enjoyment of the fundamental rights and equality before the law of Dalits guaranteed by Article 5. A review of the political, social, economic, and cultural status of Dalits in India shows the State Party to be in violation of its obligation to respect, protect, and ensure Convention rights to all individuals in its jurisdiction.