Shillong, September 28: Two Indian-American engineers, previously sued for caste discrimination in California, have joined a lawsuit filed by the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) against the state’s Civil Rights Department (CRD).
The lawsuit alleges that the CRD violated the constitutional rights of Hindus and Indian-Americans during its pursuit of a caste discrimination case at Cisco Systems.
As per IANS, the original caste discrimination case against Sundar Iyer and Ramana Kompella was voluntarily dismissed by the CRD in April of this year. However, the amended complaint by the HAF claims that the CRD wrongly asserted that caste-based discrimination is integral to Hindu teachings and practices, thereby violating the constitutional rights of several Hindus and Indian Americans.
In addition to Iyer and Kompella, other individuals, including long-time California resident and interfaith leader Dilip Amin, three Indian-origin Hindu tech workers, and others, have joined the lawsuit. They argue that the CRD’s statements about Hinduism and Indians were unconstitutional and inaccurate.
The amended complaint was filed in federal court after the judge granted the HAF 21 days to amend its complaint to avoid dismissal. The complaint contends that California’s actions defame Hinduism by attempting to resolve religious doctrine questions, violating the principle of preventing the government from establishing religious doctrines or interfering in religious practices.
The complaint also highlights that California law and regulations lack a practical method for determining an individual’s caste and that the assumption that all Hindus of South Asian, particularly Indian, descent necessarily identify with a specific caste and engage in caste-based discrimination is unfounded.
Meanwhile, some Hindu-Americans in California have been urging Governor Gavin Newsom to veto SB 403, an anti-caste discrimination bill passed by the State Assembly. They argue that the bill, if signed into law, would be discriminatory and unfairly target Hindus. SB 403 would make California the first state in the US to outlaw discrimination based on caste.
