Why US court rejected Hindu group’s claims that caste discrimination cases violate religious freedom

The decision of a US federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit challenging California state’s authority to prosecute caste discrimination cases has been welcomed by civil rights groups.

US District Judge Dale Drozd of the Eastern District of California on July 18 rejected arguments from a Hindu advocacy group that enforcing such cases violates religious freedom.

He said that the Hindu American Foundation, a non-profit that says it advocates for Hindus in the United States, lacked standing to challenge the California Civil Rights Department’s high-profile lawsuit against the technology conglomerate Cisco Systems, which alleges workplace caste discrimination against a Dalit engineer.

“This is a historic win,” said Karthikeyan Shanmugam of the Ambedkar King Study Circle, which has collected numerous testimonies showing how caste consciousness and discrimination are manifested in the Indian diaspora.

“It affirms that caste discrimination is a civil rights violation and cannot be shielded by claims of religious freedom,” Shanmugam said.

Roja Singh, President of Dalit Solidarity Forum, said that “the decades-long campaign of caste-based oppression in the US is finally being confronted”.

Singh added: “This ruling by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California affirms that caste discrimination violates civil rights and cannot be ignored. It marks a critical step toward ensuring that caste-oppressed communities...

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