While the National Dalit Commission launches a new digital grievance system, severe underfunding, political interference, and deep-seated societal violence highlight the gaping divide between constitutional guarantees and lived realities for Nepal’s marginalized Dalit community.

In a bid to modernize access to justice, Nepal’s vice president Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav recently inaugurated the national Dalit commission’s (NDC) new Five-Year Strategic Plan alongside an online grievance management system. The digital platform, designed to allow victims of caste-based violence to file complaints directly via their mobile devices, marks a crucial step toward accessibility. Yet, behind this veneer of technological progress lies a grim institutional reality: 24 years after its inception, Nepal’s constitutional watchdog for Dalit rights remains paralyzed by severe underfunding, political interference, and a society that stubbornly clings to discriminatory practices.

Despite Nepal’s transition to a federal democratic republic and the sweeping protections enshrined in the 2015 Constitution, the country’s Dalit community – constituting 13.44 per cent of the total population, or nearly 3.9 million people – continues to fight for basic human dignity. The struggle for equality is not new; it traces its roots back to the 1940s when pioneers like Bhagwat Sarbajit Bishwakarma launched the country’s first organized anti-untouchability movements. Over eight decades later, the legacy of that struggle remains agonizingly unfulfilled.

A Watchdog Starved of Resources

Established in 2002 amidst mounting pressure from Dalit activists and the Maoist armed insurgency, the National Dalit Commission was originally envisioned as a robust defender of human rights. Elevated to a constitutional body in 2015 and capped at five members, its mandate was to investigate untouchability, protect vulnerable communities, and hold the government accountable.

Today, however, the Commission exists more in name than in practice. Dalit rights activists argue that the NDC has been transformed from a credible human rights institution into a convenient posting ground for political loyalists. “Officials appointed by one party are simply not accepted by leaders of other parties,” notes Dalit rights activist and writer Hira Bishwakarma, pointing out that the body has become a recruitment centre for party workers rather than a hub for knowledgeable experts.

The financial strangulation of the commission is equally paralyzing. While the NDC requests a modest annual budget of Rs 80 to 100 million to operate effectively across the country, the federal government typically allocates a maximum of Rs 30 to 40 million. For the current fiscal year, the allocation is barely Rs 40 million, the vast majority of which is swallowed by office rent, salaries, and allowances.

Commission Chairperson Devraj Bishwokarma bluntly summarizes the dire situation: “Singha Durbar has never been able to understand the concerns of Dalits. The budget it gives is as if to say – draw your salary and sit idle.” Last year, the commission had a meagre Rs 2.8 million available for actual programmatic work, rendering large-scale interventions and victim support virtually impossible.

The Staggering Cost of Discrimination

The institutional paralysis at the NDC is playing out against a backdrop of persistent, and often lethal, societal violence. It has been 15 years since the government implemented the landmark caste-based discrimination and untouchability (offences and punishments) act in 2011. Yet, the legislation has failed to dismantle deeply entrenched caste hierarchies.

Since the act’s implementation, at least 17 Dalits have lost their lives in circumstances directly linked to caste discrimination. According to data from the national Dalit commission, approximately 60 per cent of all reported grievances involve severe caste-based discrimination, verbal abuse, and physical assault. Dalits continue to face brutal realities daily: denial of housing, arbitrary social ostracism, and violent reprisals.

Compounding the tragedy is the frequent apathy of law enforcement. Victims routinely report that local police refuse to register complaints when they seek justice – even in harrowing cases involving sexual violence or severe physical assault. This culture of impunity forces many to rely on informal local settlements that almost always favour the dominant caste perpetrators.

The Illusion of Political Inclusion

This systemic marginalization extends beyond physical violence into the corridors of power, particularly for Dalit women. While political parties frequently boast about inclusion and proportional representation, the reality is starkly different.

Bishwokarma says that the political establishment appears to have reached a silent, cynical consensus: the physical labour of the Dalit woman is deemed essential for the streets, but her leadership is perceived as a direct threat to the sanctuary of the boardroom. When the state does yield to inclusion mandates, it typically offers “ornamental” portfolios – decorative roles designed strictly to fulfil constitutional quotas without granting any substantive influence or decision-making power.

Advocates are increasingly vocal that it is time to move beyond the periphery. There is a growing demand that Dalit women be entrusted with mainstream, heavyweight ministries such as the ministry of finance, the ministry of law, or the ministry of labour.

A Digital Push Amidst Systemic Hurdles

In this climate of systemic neglect, the NDC’s newly launched online complaint system and its Five-Year Strategic Plan offer a glimmer of hope. NDC Chairperson Bishwokarma emphasizes that the digital initiative aims to make legal remedies faster and more efficient, allowing rural victims to bypass uncooperative local authorities and report abuse directly to the central body.

During the launch in Lalitpur, vice president Yadav lauded the initiative but offered a stern reminder of the work ahead. He emphasized the urgent need to bring marginalized Dalits – especially those from the Terai-Madhesh region – into the national mainstream, demanding that the commission become significantly more proactive in fighting internal discrimination and societal evils.

However, advocates say that a digital portal alone cannot cure a systemic disease. Rights activist Pradeep Pariyar acknowledges that securing a constitutional commission was a monumental achievement. Yet, moving forward, he stresses that the commission requires more than just an online form. It necessitates a genuine political will from Singha Durbar to ensure that the laws written in the capital are actually enforced in the villages, he says.