Tag Archives: Codava Community

Codava Council Demands Separate Column in 2025 Census to Safeguard Indigenous Identity

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Records, All, Samajas, Associations, Clubs (wef. Sept. 03rd, 2022)), , , , , , , ,

HIGHLIGHTS

The Codava National Council (CNC) has urged the Union Government to ensure a separate “code and column” for the Codava community in the upcoming General Census and caste-based enumeration scheduled for 2025.

Madikeri:

The Codava National Council (CNC) has urged the Union Government to ensure a separate “code and column” for the Codava community in the upcoming General Census and caste-based enumeration scheduled for 2025. The demand, presented in a memorandum to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Registrar General of India, seeks formal recognition of the Codavas as a distinct, mono-ethnic indigenous warrior clan native to Kodagu in southwest Karnataka.

In a detailed representation given to the central government on Friday and subsequently shared with The Hans India, CNC president N.U. Nachappa Codava welcomed the Centre’s April 30 decision to conduct caste-wise enumeration along with the delayed decennial census, calling it a long-overdue step toward social justice. He stressed that this offers a crucial opportunity for micro and minuscule communities like the Codavas to be accurately documented and constitutionally acknowledged.

“Codavas are a unique mono-ethnological community with no class or sub-caste divisions. Our identity, tied intrinsically to our ancestral homeland of Codavaland, has been historically undermined by administrative mergers in post-Independence censuses,” said Nachappa Codava.

He argued that the Codava community’s omission from independent classification between 1941 and 2011 had severely affected its socio-political representation and cultural survival. From being enumerated distinctly in colonial censuses between 1871 and 1931, the community was, he alleged, subsumed into broader categories under post-1956 frameworks, stripping it of its ethnic and territorial recognition.

The CNC’s memorandum calls for a “social engineering” process that includes:

A distinct column and code for Codavas in the Census 2025, Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the community, Restitution of hereditary land rights lost due to state reforms, Recognition of the Codava language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, Autonomous geo-political status for Codavaland,

Special political representation in Parliament and state legislatures, And recognition under international indigenous frameworks, including those of the United Nations. Codavas, traditionally known for their martial legacy, were one of the few communities permitted to retain arms under British rule—a right they view as emblematic of their warrior identity. “India’s diversity should not be measured merely in numbers. Communities like the Codavas may be small in size, but our cultural and historical distinctiveness deserves statutory recognition and protection,” the CNC noted.

The memorandum has also been copied to the United Nations, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, and the Karnataka Department of Social Welfare, underlining CNC’s efforts to raise the issue at both national and international levels.

This fresh call for constitutional safeguards comes amid growing discourse around caste enumeration, identity preservation, and indigenous rights in India’s evolving demographic policy landscape Nachappa told Hans India

source: http://www.thehansindia.com / Hans India / Home> News> State> Karnataka> Bengaluru / by Hans News Service, Hans India / May 02nd, 2025

Codava Community Seeks Exclusive Constituencies and ST Status Amid Concerns Over Delimitation

Business & Economy, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Records, All, Samajas, Associations, Clubs (wef. Sept. 03rd, 2022)), , , , , , , , ,

HIGHLIGHTS

The Codava National Council (CNC) organised a human chain demonstration in Birunani on Monday, urging the Union Government to address their long-standing demands.

Madikeri :

The Codava National Council (CNC) organised a human chain demonstration in Birunani on Monday, urging the Union Government to address their long-standing demands. The primary demand is the creation of exclusive Codava constituencies for the Assembly and Parliament to ensure adequate representation of the community within their traditional homeland.

The CNC expressed concerns that the ongoing delimitation process may overlook the interests of the Codava community. Leaders fear that political influences could result in the merging of Codavaland with neighbouring areas, undermining the representation of the indigenous Codavas.

The CNC has put forward two proposals: carving out dedicated Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies in Codavaland and creating exclusive representative bodies for the Codava community, similar to the Sangha Constituency for the Buddhist monastic community in Sikkim.

The CNC also reiterated its demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status under the Indian Constitution, highlighting the community’s distinct identity, culture, and history. The demand is anchored in Articles 244 and 371, along with provisions in the Sixth and Eighth Schedules, which recognise and protect tribal communities and languages.

The CNC argues that this misrepresentation has led to a gradual erosion of the community’s identity, describing it as a violation of international conventions on indigenous rights.

A writ petition filed by former Member of Parliament Dr. Subramanian Swamy in the Karnataka High Court seeks adjudication of the Codavas’ demands. The CNC is also advocating for recognition of Codavas under international frameworks such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The CNC has called for the restitution of ancestral lands that were taken over by various rulers, including the Keladi dynasty, British authorities, and subsequent governments.

The CNC remains firm in its demand for recognition as a distinct indigenous community and continues to engage with constitutional and legal avenues to secure their rights. The human chain event at Birunani marked the latest step in the community’s long-standing struggle for recognition and justice.

Is Sullia being pitched to be an assembly segment of Mysuru-Kodagu LS constituency?

In another development, DV Sadananda Gowda (former MP) and Shobha Karandlaje, representing Bengaluru North LS constituency, have been alleged to have brought pressure on the central government to annexe Sullia Assembly constituency, which is currently one of the eight assembly segments in Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency, to be a part of the Mysuru-Kodagu Lok Sabha constituency. The Codavas point out that this move will further strengthen the Vokkaliga dominance in the Kodagu district and will worsen the Codava community’s representation in the Karnataka assembly. “This is in a preliminary stage, and in the coming days we will further investigate the effects of the inclusion of the Sullia Assembly constituency into the Mysuru-Kodagu Lok Sabha constituency.”

source: http://www/thehansindia.com / The Hans India / Home> News> State> Karnataka / by The Hans India, Hans News Service / March 31t, 2025