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.

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.

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.

The counter affidavit also stated that Veerashaiva-Lingayat is a sect of the Hindu religion and is not an independent religion.

This was observed by the National Commission for Minorities after considering the socio-historic perspective of the community.