Supreme Court rules minority status determined at state level not nationally for religious and linguistic groups

The term 'minority' lacks constitutional definition but has been judicially interpreted. The Supreme Court established that minority status, whether religious or linguistic, must be determined at the state level rather than nationally. This principle emerged from the State Reorganisation Act's linguistic state divisions. The majority opinion held that since states were carved based on regional language majorities, the state serves as the appropriate unit for minority determination. A minority group is defined as numerically less than 50% of a state's population. One dissenting judge argued for national-level determination, but this remains the minority view. The state-based approach applies to both central and state legislation dealing with minority rights.

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