Twelve members of a Dalit family in southern Nepal remain without citizenship and essential identity documents despite a court ruling ordering authorities to facilitate their registration, exposing the barriers faced by marginalized caste communities in accessing basic rights.
The family, living in Saptari district near Nepal’s border with India, has struggled for decades to obtain legal recognition because its 60-year-old patriarch, Laxmi Ram, never received a citizenship certificate.
According to The Kathmandu Post, the absence of citizenship documents has affected three generations of the family, preventing its members from obtaining birth certificates, registering marriages and accessing government welfare programs.
Laxmi lost his father at the age of four. His family had previously been displaced by flooding along the Koshi River and settled in Bishnupur, where they lived for decades without owning land.
The family later moved to the banks of the western Koshi canal, but their lack of official documentation continued to prevent them from establishing legal identities.
Laxmi’s sons, Dilip, 33, and Pradeep, 30, never attended school because of poverty and the family’s documentation problems. Both now support their relatives through daily wage labor.
Their six children, aged between two and 14, also lack birth registration documents, leaving them vulnerable to exclusion from education and other public services.
Although three children were enrolled in school, Dilip said they became discouraged after being denied benefits available to other students.
He accused local authorities of repeatedly ignoring the family’s requests because of their poverty and Dalit identity.
Dalits, historically subjected to caste-based discrimination and social exclusion in Hindu societies across South Asia, remain among Nepal’s most economically and socially marginalized communities.
For impoverished Dalit families, the absence of citizenship documentation can deepen existing inequalities by restricting access to education, employment, public assistance and other essential services.
In Nepal, citizenship certificates are crucial for obtaining other official documents and accessing many government services, meaning that a parent’s lack of citizenship can create administrative barriers for successive generations.
The family’s efforts to secure documentation intensified earlier this year when local authorities issued recommendations confirming Laxmi’s birth and residence.
However, officials in Bishnupur Rural Municipality refused to provide an additional recommendation required under Nepal’s citizenship regulations.
Despite repeated instructions from the District Administration Office in February and May, the process remained unresolved.
In April, local officials conducted an inquiry involving 28 residents, confirming the family’s long-term residence and finding no apparent obstacle to issuing citizenship.
When authorities still failed to act, Dilip borrowed money and filed a petition before the Rajbiraj bench of the Janakpur High Court on June 1.
On Aug. 26, judges Subhash Paudel and Kaji Bahadur Rai ruled in Laxmi’s favor, finding no legal justification for withholding the required recommendation after local authorities had verified his residence and eligibility.
The court directed the ward office to resolve the matter.
However, the family has yet to receive the necessary documentation, even after repeated visits following the ruling.
Dilip said the family cannot afford further legal proceedings to seek enforcement of the court’s order.
Ward Chairman Lochan Sahu acknowledged the ruling but said he was awaiting legal advice before proceeding with the citizenship recommendation.
He promised to initiate the process after the Dashain festival.
For Laxmi and his descendants, the continued administrative delays mean another generation remains without the legal documents needed to fully participate in Nepalese society.
Source: Muslim Network
