LONDON –
In a powerful display of cross-party and
international solidarity, lawmakers, activists, community and faith & belief
leaders convened in the House of Lords on Monday, 15 September 2025, to demand
that the new Labour government explicitly outlaw caste-based discrimination in
UK law.
The meeting, organised by Dr Elizabeth Joy,
Director, & Ms Chandni Sai Ganesh the Programme Officer at, Dalit
Solidarity Network(DSN UK, chaired and hosted by the Right Reverend Lord
Richard Harries, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Dalits and
Adivasis, heard compelling testimony that the Caste System imported into Britain
is causing real harm in British workplaces, schools, and the NHS, and that
current legal protections are insufficient.
The call to action was significantly bolstered by
Dr Thol Thirumavalavan, a Member of Parliament from Tamil Nadu, India, who
argued that UK legislation would not only protect vulnerable communities in
Britain but also set a vital international precedent that would strengthen the
fight for Dalit rights in India.
A Legal Loophole
At the heart of the issue is the Equality Act 2010.
As Labour MP Warinder Juss explained, a provision (Section 9(5)) was included
that empowers the government to add “caste” as an aspect of “race,” thereby
making it a protected characteristic. However, this provision has never been
enacted.
“The legal power was given for that to be done in
2010,” Juss stated. “It’s there, but not enacted… All that needs to happen is
somebody, some government minister, to put that into effect so that it becomes
law.”
He revealed he is awaiting a response from
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson on the matter. He observed that, during
a recent Westminster Hall debate titled “Impact of the Equality Act 2010 on
British Society,” which took place on Wednesday, 10 September 2025 and was
chaired by Dr. Rosena Allin-Khan, she remarked that “she had no idea that caste
discrimination was such a major issue and that she wants to help in the
campaign.”
A Global Problem The most forceful international
perspective came from Dr Thirumavalavan, who leads the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal
Katchi (VCK – Liberation Panthers Party). He detailed the grim reality for over
200 million Dalits in India, where crimes against them are “reported every 10
minutes” and over 90% live below the poverty line.
“Caste is no longer merely an Indian problem. It’s
a global one,” he declared. “Here in the UK, caste-based discrimination is
still evident in education, employment, and health care.”
He dismissed opposition from the Indian government
and dominant caste groups, stating, “Those who benefit from oppression cannot
be expected to consent to measures that protect the oppressed.” He made a
direct appeal: “Include caste in the Equality Act 2010… We are not asking for
charity. We are demanding justice, equality, and fraternity.”
Evidence from the Frontlines
UK-based speakers provided stark examples of how
caste prejudice has been imported into British society.
Bala Gnanapragasam of the Dalit Solidarity Network
UK emphasised the critical need for data collection to prove the extent of the
problem to ministers. Santosh Dass MBE, Chair of the Anti-Caste Discrimination
Alliance (ACDA), revealed her organisation has supported several employment
tribunals, including cases that settled out of court involving the NHS and a
bakery.
The Right Reverend Dr Anderson Jeremiah, who
identified himself as the only Dalit Christian bishop outside India, gave a
personal account of being excluded from Indian congregations in London due to
his caste, even after becoming a bishop. He also highlighted its prevalence in
UK higher education and the NHS, where he said a clear pattern exists: “Most of
the consultants are from the high caste community… Most of the cleaners, care
workers, and all the para-medical professionals are from the lower caste
communities.”
From India, Dr Gowthama Sanna presented two major
new publications: People at Bay, a reconstructed version of
Ambedkar’s unfinished work, and Letters of the Revolutionary,
compiling 350 of Ambedkar’s letters. He expressed his mission to spread
Ambedkarism globally and establish study centres across Tamil Nadu, with the
support of both Indian and overseas volunteers.
Invisibilisation of Caste
Dr Asang Wankhede, legal scholar at Oxford,
launched DSN’s revamped online “ Daily Casteism Portal” to document everyday
discrimination in the UK. Drawing on his work in Australia, he argued that the
2018 repeal of the duty to recognise caste was unlawful, and that the current
Labour government is still legally bound to act. He called the invisibilisation
of caste “a betrayal of Dalit people” and pressed for urgent legislative
action.
A Moment for Change
The House of Lords meeting showcased the depth of
solidarity between UK and Indian voices united against caste oppression. Dr
Suraj Yengde, Harvard and Oxford scholar and author of Caste Matters
and Caste: A Global Story, together with Dalit Theologians like Rev Dr
Sathianathan Clarke former faculty member at the United Theological College
Bangalore, a former visiting professor at Havard Divinty School, currently
Professor of Theology, Culture and Mission at Wesley Theological Seminary,
Washington DC, Rev Dr Masiiwa Ragies Gunda from WCC, Geneva. Rev Dr Wolfram
Langpape from EKD, Germany, National Secular Society, Leicester Secular Society
many other legal, academic, political, and grassroots leaders, including Mr Tirmizi
Mohammed Zeeshan & Mr Suthirtha Chatterji all pressing for change, the
event ended with a renewed commitment to ensure that caste-based discrimination
is recognised, challenged, and eradicated.
The consensus in the committee room was clear:
after 15 years of campaigning, research, and documented evidence, the time for
consultation is over. The message to Ministers is that the power to end this
legal ambiguity exists—it now requires only the political will to use it.
Report Compiled by Caste Watch UK
Related Articles:
Press release by Caste Watch UK,
regarding the trial of Mr Amrik Singh Bajwa (4th April)
Press release of Caste Watch UK
regarding the casteist video of Mr Amrik Singh Bajwa
Man charged with sending an
offensive message
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