California: In a momentous vote that could make California the first state to criminalise caste-based prejudice, the California Senate passed a bill that would clearly forbid caste discrimination by a wide margin. Last month, the legislation was introduced by Senator Aisha Wahab, the first Muslim and Afghan-American elected to the state legislature.
Passed by 34-1 vote, the bill –SB 403 - would make California the first US state to add caste as a protected category in its anti-discrimination laws. Promoters of the bill, being led by non-profit Equality Lab, said that a similar bill is being introduced in the state’s House of Representatives, before it can be sent to the governor to be signed into a law.
The Unruh Civil Rights Act, which states that everyone in California is entitled to full and equal accommodations, benefits, facilities, privileges, or services in all business enterprises, is amended by the bill to include caste as a protected class. The bill provides explicit protections to those who have been systemically harmed due to caste bias and prejudice. It also provides firm legal consequences for those seeking to avoid responsibility or ramifications for permitting or participating in caste discrimination and caste-based violence.
Deelip Mhaske of Foundation For Human Horizon said: “This is a win for the Indian Constitution framed by Dr B R Ambedkar’s equality principle. ” Indian-American Muslim Council executive director Rasheed Ahmed said: “We urge the California Assembly to pass this bill without delay, and for Governor Gavin Newsom to sign it into law. We also call on other states and the US Congress to follow its lead.