Dalit can use Sanskrit Hostel : SC

Kathmandu, Jan 20-The Supreme Court on thrusday scrapped a provision of the Teendhara Sanskrit Pathshala Hostel Regulation that bars Dalit and Janajatis form getting admission to the hostel. Earlier, only Brahmin boys used to get admission to the hostel.

A three-member full bench of justices Min Bahadur Rayamajhi, Sharada Prasad Pundit and Kalyan Shrestha said the Rule 14(8) (6) (b) of the Regulation was against the constitutional provisions that treat all citizens equally.

The bench also said that since the provision contradicts with Article 11 of the Constitution and Clause 12 of the Mahendra Sanskrit University Act 2043 BS, the provision scrapped with immediate effect.

The bench also directed to the Mahendra Sanskrit University to make its legal provisions friendly to every people and provide opportunity to Dalits and Janajatis to get admission to the hostel.

“Since the provision discriminately protects and promotes a certain caste of people, it cannot be continued,” the bench said. “Promulgate legal provision to providingequal opportunity to everyone without going against the Article 11 of the Constitution,” the bench directed. Challenging the legal provision, general secretary of the Dalit Non-Government Organisations’ Federation, Dil Bahadur Bishwokarma, and advocate Bimal Bishwakarma had jointly filed a writ petition.