<p>The Union Government on Tuesday filed a counter affidavit in the Karnataka High Court in response to a batch of petitions filed against constituting a panel by the Karnataka State Minorities Commission to look into the demands of separate religion status to Lingayats.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In its affidavit, the Centre states that the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, in 2011 had conducted the census survey in which Lingayat/Veerashaiva Lingayat Sect are included along with various sects under the Hindu religion.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The affidavit further states that there are no prescribed criteria for declaring any community as a religious minority under the National Commission for Minorities Act 1992. However, for declaring any community as a minority, the advice of various central government ministries or departments, the National Commission for Minorities and other organisations concerned and the stakeholders has to be taken into consideration.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The counter affidavit also stated that Veerashaiva-Lingayat is a sect of the Hindu religion and is not an independent religion.</p>.<p class="bodytext">This was observed by the National Commission for Minorities after considering the socio-historic perspective of the community.</p>
<p>The Union Government on Tuesday filed a counter affidavit in the Karnataka High Court in response to a batch of petitions filed against constituting a panel by the Karnataka State Minorities Commission to look into the demands of separate religion status to Lingayats.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In its affidavit, the Centre states that the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, in 2011 had conducted the census survey in which Lingayat/Veerashaiva Lingayat Sect are included along with various sects under the Hindu religion.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The affidavit further states that there are no prescribed criteria for declaring any community as a religious minority under the National Commission for Minorities Act 1992. However, for declaring any community as a minority, the advice of various central government ministries or departments, the National Commission for Minorities and other organisations concerned and the stakeholders has to be taken into consideration.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The counter affidavit also stated that Veerashaiva-Lingayat is a sect of the Hindu religion and is not an independent religion.</p>.<p class="bodytext">This was observed by the National Commission for Minorities after considering the socio-historic perspective of the community.</p>
