This ETV Bharat screenshot claiming that members of the Valmiki Samaj were not allowed to enter the Supreme Court is edited
Recently, on 01 August 2024, the Supreme Court of India delivered a judgment allowing sub-classification within SC and ST reservations. The Court ruled that states can sub-classify Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) to provide additional quotas for more disadvantaged groups within these categories. A seven-judge bench, led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, decided by a 6-1 majority that this sub-classification is permissible to address varying levels of discrimination among SCs and STs (here, here). In this context, a purported screenshot of an ETV Bharat news report, claiming that members of the Valmiki Samaj were not allowed to enter the Supreme Court, is being widely shared across social media platforms (here, here, and here). The report further stated that members of the Valmiki community who went to honour the Supreme Court with flowers were denied entry because it was claimed that their presence would render the court impure and necessitate cleansing with cow urine. Through this article, let’s fact-check the authenticity of this viral screenshot and the claims made in these posts.
Claim: Screenshot of ETV Bharat report stating that the Supreme Court of India did not allow members of the Valmiki Samaj to enter, claiming that their presence would render the court impure.
Fact: This viral screenshot of the ETV Bharat news report is edited. The original news report, published on 18 August 2024 by ETV Bharat about the Valmiki society supporting the Supreme Court’s recent judgment on SC/ST sub-categorization, has been digitally altered and is being shared to spread misinformation. There are no reports of the Supreme Court of India denying entry to members of the Valmiki Samaj on the basis of caste or claiming that their presence would render the court impure, either recently or in the past. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On 21 August 2024, several Dalit and Adivasi associations held a nationwide protest (Bharat Bandh) opposing the Supreme Court’s judgment allowing sub-categorization within SC/ST reservations. The protesters also demanded that the Central Government clarify its stance on sub-categorization, appealed to the Union Government to enact a law to ‘nullify’ the judgment, and called for a caste census to reveal the ‘real situation’ of different castes in India (here, here, and here).
To verify the authenticity of the viral ETV Bharat news report screenshot, we conducted a relevant keyword search and found that ETV Bharat did not publish any such report. We also did not find any reports stating that the Supreme Court of India denied entry to members of the Valmiki Samaj, claiming that their presence would render the court impure. If such an incident had occurred, it would have been certainly reported by several media outlets.
During this search, we also found an ETV Bharat news report published on 18 August 2024 about the Valmiki society supporting the Supreme Court’s recent judgment on SC/ST sub-categorization. The report stated that the MCD Safai Karamchari Union and the leaders of the Valmiki community held a meeting on 18 August 2024 and expressed their full support for the Supreme Court’s recent judgment on SC/ST sub-categorization, asserting that it should be implemented nationwide. The report further noted that these associations are opposing the Bharat Bandh scheduled for 21 August, which is being held in protest of the Supreme Court’s recent judgment on SC/ST sub-categorization. Additionally, the report features the same picture that appeared in the viral news report. This indicates that the ETV Bharat news report published on 18 August 2024 has been edited and is being shared to disseminate misinformation.
To sum up, this ETV Bharat News report screenshot claiming that members of the Valmiki Samaj were not allowed to enter the Supreme Court is edited.