Article 341 – Scheduled Castes

 

Article 341 – Scheduled Castes

(1) The President may with respect to any State or Union territory, and where it is a State, after consultation with the Governor thereof, by public notification, specify the castes, races or tribes or parts of or groups within castes, races or tribes which shall for the purposes of this Constitution be deemed to be Scheduled Castes in relation to that State or Union territory, as the case may be.

(2) Parliament may by law include in or exclude from the list of Scheduled Castes specified in a notification issued under clause (1) any caste, race or tribe or part of or group within any caste, race or tribe, but save as aforesaid a notification issued under the said clause shall not be varied by any subsequent notification.

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This provision empowers:

• The President of India to issue a notification identifying the Scheduled Castes for each state/UT.

• The Parliament to amend this list by law, either by including or excluding communities.

Related Legal Instruments

1. Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 – This order lists all the Scheduled Castes for each state and union territory.

2. The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 – Provides legal protection against caste-based discrimination and violence.