India's High Court Postpones Ruling on Rights of Christian and Muslim Dalits

The Supreme Court of India has postponed ruling on whether lower-caste Dalits who have converted to Christianity or Islam are entitled to the same preferential rights as those who remain Hindus, or who have converted to become Sikhs or Buddhists. Christian Today reported on Saturday that the delay came after the government told the court that it had still not received a report on the matter from the National Commission for Scheduled Castes. In May, a panel headed by former Chief Justice Ranganath Misra recommended that converts to Christianity and Islam be given the same special privileges as other Dalits, but the Commission has not yet accepted the recommendations.