Britain begins work on caste law; bill by ’ 15

The UK government said that it is committed to eliminating caste- based discrimination and harassment in the UK and plans to carry out a full public consultation on the prospective legislation in early 2014

The UK government on Monday issued a timetable to make discrimination on grounds of caste unlawful in the country. The legislation on the issue is expected only to be introduced into Parliament during the summer of 2015, after the general election.

The UK government had in April this year changed it’s opposition to the issue of adding caste discrimination into a law after the House of Lords defeated the government twice.

The British peers had twice voted against the UK government in favour of making caste a protected characteristic ( as an aspect of race) under equality law via a new clause in the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill. The Tory- LibDem coalition government had initially opposed the move, but after its second defeat in the House of Lords on April 23 it conceded on the principle.

The UK government said on Monday that it is committed to eliminating caste- based discrimination and harassment in the UK and plans to carry out a full public consultation on the prospective legislation in early 2014.

The consultation, which is expected to issue either in February or March 2014, will run for 12 weeks and conclude around May- June 2014. The consultation will in particular include proposals for whether and how “caste” should be defined in the legislation, and will seek to identify any legislative exceptions that may be necessary.

The UK government will also focus on avoiding increased and unnecessary bureaucracy, especially where this might result in the entrenchment of caste identity, for instance, making sure that there is no need for people to register their caste because of the legislation. It will draw on existing reports, as well as the findings of research on caste and caste discrimination which the Equality and Human Rights Commission is planning to carry out shortly this summer. The commission’s research is due to last around three to six months from summer 2013, and will include discussions with people and groups who are interested in caste discrimination.

The full public consultation will help in preparation for the introduction of legislation, in order to make sure that it is appropriate and fit for purpose, the UK government said.

The government will also start collecting information on aspects of caste and caste discrimination in Britain.

The UK government will analyse the consultation and issue its response to it in autumn of 2014 and it will be followed by another public consulation.