The presence of minorities in all societies is an empirically established fact. It is observed that minorities face multiple threats in societies they live. These threats ranging from attempts at subjugation and exclusion to extermination or genocide entail theories and discourses for addressing the problems of minorities. It has been widely accepted today that minorities need special protection by the states they live in. The special protection may include effective constitutional and legal safeguards with institutional mechanism to monitor the enforcement of those safeguards. India is often described as confederation of minorities for having large number of minorities based on religion, language, culture and race etc. The Constitution of India recognizes minorities based on religion and language and provides constitutional and legal safeguards for the protection and promotion of their rights. This paper attempts to understand and critically examine the institutional mechanism and its role in monitoring the implementation of minority safeguards in India.

Keywords: Minorities; Religion; Educational Institutions; Discrimination.