Class 8 NCERT Polity Chapter 8

Confronting Marginalisation
Dalit: The term Dalit means ‘broken’ or oppressed
socially and economically.

Confront: To come face to face or to challenge

someone or something. In the chapter, the word
refers to groups that challenge their marginalisation.

Policy: A well-planned course of action that provides

direction for the future, sets goals to be achieved or
lays out guidelines to be followed and acted upon.

Ostracise: To socially boycott an individual and his

family. Instagram
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Dispasses: To give up ownership or authority.

Morally reprehensible: An act that violates all

norms of decency and dignity that society believes
in.

Assertive: An individual or a group that expresses

themselves and their views strongly.

Manual Scavenging: It refers to the manual

practice of removing human and animal waste or
excreta with the help of brooms, tin plates and
baskets from dry latrines and carrying it on the head
to disposal grounds.
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Marginalisation is the process whereby something or someone is pushed to
the edge of a group and accorded lesser importance. This is predominantly a
social phenomenon by which a minority or sub-group is excluded, and their
needs or desires ignored.
Invoking Fundamental Rights:
• Fundamental Rights are the basic rights given to every individual of a
nation which every person is entitled to have being a human.
• Fundamental Rights are enshrined in the constitution and has been
inspires from American constitution.
• The Fundamental Constitutional Rights are equally available to all
Indians including marginalised groups.
• Adivasis, Dalits, Muslims, women and other marginal groups argue that
simply by being citizens of a democratic country, they possess equal
rights that must be respected.
• Many among them look up to the Constitution to address their concerns.
• By insisting on their Fundamental Rights, they have drawn on these
rights in two ways:
• Forced the government to recognize the injustice done to them.
• They have insisted that the government should enforce these laws.
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• The struggles of the marginalized groups have influenced
the government to frame new laws, in keeping with the
spirit of the Fundamental Rights.
• Article 17 of the Constitution states that untouchability has
been abolished.
• This means that no one can henceforth prevent Dalit from
educating themselves, entering temples, using public
facilities, etc.
• Article 15 of the Constitution states that no citizen of India
shall be discriminated on the basis of religion, race, caste,
sex or place of birth. This has been used by Dalits to seek
equality where it has been denied to them.
• Various other provisions under constitution prohibit the
exploitation faced by marginalised.
• Time to time, the marginalised and minority has raised their
voices and asked for equal and just treatment.
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Laws for the Marginalised Groups:
• There are specific laws and policies for the marginalized groups in our
country.
• The government makes an effort to promote such policies to give
opportunities to specific groups.
• The government tries to promote social justice by providing for free or
subsidized hostels for the students of Dalit and Adivasi communities.
• The reservation policy is significant and highly contentious.
• The laws which reserve seats in education and government employment for
Dalits and Adivasis are based or an important argument that in a society
like ours, where for centuries sections of the population have been denied
opportunities to learn and to work in order to develop new skills or assist
these sections.
• Governments across India have their list of Scheduled Castes or Dalits,
Scheduled Tribes and backward and most backward castes. The central
government too has its list.
• Students applying to educational institutions and those applying for posts in
government are expected to furnish proof of their caste or tribe status, in
the form of caste and tribe certificates.
• Different kind of scholarship programmes are also run by governments.
• Laws related to wages, cultural rights, educational rights, and rights against
exploitation have been formed for Marginalised groups. Instagram
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Protecting the Rights of Dalits and Adivasis:
• Our country has specific laws that guard against the
discrimination and exploitation of marginalized communities.
• The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of
Atrocities) Act was framed in 1989 to protect Dalits and Adivasis
against the domination and violence of the powerful castes.
• A number of assertive Dalit groups came into being and
asserted their rights-they refused to perform their so-called
caste duties and insisted on being treated equally.
• In the 1970’s and 1980’s, Adivasi people successfully organised
themselves and demanded equal rights and for their land
resources to be returned to them.
• This Act distinguishes several levels of crimes.
• It lists-modes of humiliation that are both physically horrific and
morally reprehensible.
• Actions that disposes Dalits and Adivasis of their meagre
resources or which force them into performing slave labour.
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• Crime against Dalit and tribal women are of a specific kind and
therefore seeks to penalise who use force on these women.
• Manual scavenging refers to the practice of removing human
and animal water/excreta using brooms, tin plates and baskets
from dry latrines and carrying it on the head to the disposal
ground some distance away.
• In 1993, the government passed the Employment of Manual
Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act.
This law prohibits the employment of manual scavengers as
well as the construction of Dry latrines.
• We still notice instances of atrocities against Dalits, minorities
and lower section of society. this situation really needs to be
taken care of by implementing the laws made by government.
• The recent deaths of sewage workers put a horrific picture in
front of administration and make us to think that in this
advanced era of technology we have to depend on manual
scavenging.
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Adivasis Demands and The 1989 Act :
• The 1989 Act is important because Adivasi refer to it to
defend their right to occupy land that was traditionally
theirs.
• Adivasis often unwilling to move from their land, are forcibly
displaces.
• This act merely confirms that the land belonging to the tribal
people cannot be sold to or bought by non-tribal people.
• Adivasis demands for their tribal rights to be preserved and
their forest rights to be conserever which they had inherited.
• Adivasis always wanted that their culture and primitive
methods of living should not changed and they should have
previlage to live their own.
• By formulating Acts Indian government tried to stop
exploitation of tribals in the hands of forest official as well.
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1. List two Fundamental Rights in the Constitution that Dalits can
draw upon to insist that they be treated with dignity and as
equals. Re-read the Fundamental Rights listed on page 14 to
help you answer this question.

Answer The two fundamental rights that Dalits can draw upon to
insist that they be treated with dignity and as equals are:

Right to Equality: All persons are equal before the law. No citizen
can be discriminated against on the basis of his or her
socioeconomic background, caste, religion etc. Every person has
equal right of access to all public places.

Right to Freedom: This includes the right to freedom of speech

and expression, the right to move freely, the right to form
associations, the right to reside in any part of the country and the
right to practise any kind of profession, occupation or business.
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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.

Answer The Scheduled Castes and the

Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act,
1989 seeks to punish those who humiliate or ill-
treat the member of dalit or tribal groups.
Rathnam sought the support of law, filing his
complaint under the above Act to seek protection
against the domination and violence of the
powerful castes in his village. Instagram
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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?

Answer The Adivasi activists, including C.K. Janu,

believe that Adivasis can use the 1989 Act to fight
against dispossession because this Act guarantees the
tribals not to be dispossessed from the land resources
forcibly. They specifically pointed out that this Act
merely confirms what has already been promised to the
tribal people in the Constitution that the land owned by
any tribal people cannot be sold to or bought by non-
tribal people. In cases where this has happened, the
constitution also guarantees that the right of the tribal
people to repossess their land. Instagram
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