It degrades beyond all comparison. However between this legal position and reality lies a vast gap. The world s largest democracy has failed to develop beyond a mere formal democracy. No amount of criticism about the conflict between constitutional principles and practice can be of any impact on ethical principles and practices based on the opposite ideal. Ethically, there is unity of theory and practice, as inequality is accepted both as ideal and is practiced.
Legal confusions have no bearing on the ethical foundation of caste-based societies.
Constitutional declarations of equality or acceptance of international covenants founded on the principle of equality may create legal obligations, nonetheless they do not change the ethical foundations of a given society. Caste lies behind many social crises in South Asia. Caste society does not recognize the right to dissent as a valid ethical principle. The right to expression is based on recognition of human equality. To deny the right to dissent is to deny the right to freedom of expression, and further, to regard expression of opinion as futile activity.