Today, around 15 percent of the population of India, consisting of
approximately 115 million people, is labeled “untouchable” or members
of the “Scheduled Castes” in the terminology of the Indian constitution.
The same constitution also specifies that “the State shall not
discriminate against any citizen on grounds of religion, race, caste,
sex, place of birth.” Special laws, such as the Protection of Civil
Rights Act, 1976, have been enacted to give meaning to the constitutional
provisions. Despite such measures, however, the phenomenon