Describing caste inequality as “a great evil to the society”, Press Council of India Chairman and former Supreme Court judge Justice Markandey Katju on Friday said people who encouraged the caste system were stumbling blocks for the growth of the country.
“When someone cheers or supports caste discrimination, for sure it would block our progress. I am always against caste system and caste-based discrimination. Caste system will put our nation behind by several years,” he said while welcoming inter-caste marriages.
Answering a question on the recent call by political parties such as the PMK to avoid inter-caste marriages, Justice Katju said “in my opinion inter-caste marriages will wipe out caste inequity.”
Incidentally, last year, while he was a serving Supreme Court judge, Justice Katju and Justice Gyan Sudha Misra had said that inter-caste marriages are in “national interest.”
“The caste is dividing the nation at a time when we have to be united to face the challenges before the nation. Inter-caste marriages are, in fact, in national interest as they will result in destroying the caste system,” the Bench had said while slamming honour killings.