Discriminatory Policies and Laws Target Indian Muslim minorities in the Recent Time: A Socio-Legal Study

Abstract

The article gives a short overview of targeted discrimination against Muslims as minorities in India and the apathy of legal and political agencies to protect them. It suggests that neither of these two perspectives adequately capture the Indian Government’s attention nor cease sufficiently the attention of the international legal order, which has a normative architecture unto its own. This article focuses on the uncertain effect of religious autonomy in India and democracy. The Indian constitution guarantees autonomy to its religious minorities and promises the minorities freedoms but there is a huge gap between constitutional rights and political reality for minorities, especially Muslims. Indian democracy has been weakened by the rise of xenophobic nationalism and threats to religious minorities. Even their safety and religious freedom have been compromised. Muslim women are abused and targeted publicly online. These trends were evident in the last few decades but have dramatically increased in recent years, and the administration has turned a blind eye. In response, the present Union Government of India and its political party attempt to engineer a Hindutva version of lebensraum in India. The radical Bhartia Janta Party government passed discriminatory laws that are eroding the democratic nature of India and undermining its religious freedoms.