Introduction

• Article 17 abolishes untouchability, reflecting the constitutional commitment to equality, dignity and fraternity.

Safeguards

• Article 17: Abolishes untouchability and makes its practice punishable.
• Article 15(2): Ensures equal access to public places and facilities.
• PCR Act, 1955: Penalises practices arising from untouchability.
• SC/ST PoA Act, 1989: Provides stringent penalties and Special Courts.
• Article 338: NCSC monitors safeguards for Scheduled Castes.
• Manual Scavenging Act, 2013: Ends caste-linked hazardous sanitation work.
• RPA, 1951: Provides electoral disqualification for relevant convictions.

Challenges

• Definitional gap → newer forms of caste exclusion remain difficult to prosecute.
• Economic dependence → discourages victims from reporting discrimination.
• Under-reporting + social stigma → hides the actual scale.
• Judicial delays → weaken deterrence and witness participation.
• Persistent social practices → segregation, social boycotts and purity-based discrimination.

Way Forward

• Effective enforcement + time-bound justice + economic empowerment + mechanisation of sanitation + social awareness + inter-caste integration.

Conclusion

Legal safeguards must be complemented by social and economic transformation to convert constitutional equality into lived equality and dignity.