<p>Washington, Sep 27 (PTI): Eminent Indian-American community leaders have urged California Governor Gavin Newsom not to sign a recently passed legislation which seeks to include "caste" as a protected category in California.</p><p>This is important to protect the civil rights of South Asians, Indian-American community leaders Ajay Bhutoria and Ramesh Kapur told Newsom during a recent meeting of the major Democratic party's fundraisers in Chicago.</p><p>During the meeting, Bhutoria from California and Kapur from Boston urged Newsom to vote 'NO' on SB-403. The bill, introduced by Senator Aisha Wahab, seeks to include "caste" as a protected category in California, but its vague definition and potential for frivolous lawsuits have raised significant concerns, according to a statement.</p><p>Bhutoria emphasized that while offensive language had been removed from the bill, the addition of "caste" as a protected category based on a vague definition remains problematic for the South Asian community and could potentially lead to discrimination and problems in employment, promotions at work and college admissions.</p><p>The meeting highlighted the need for a thorough study of caste discrimination in California before implementing a law that could inadvertently cause more harm than good. The bill has been sent to the governor to be signed into law.</p><p>Among the key reasons to vote 'NO' on SB-403 are concerns about the bill's vague definition of "caste", potential for endless litigation, and the reliance on questionable data sources, the statement said.</p><p>Bhutoria and Kapur firmly believe that the existing federal and state laws already protect against caste discrimination, making this proposed legislation unnecessary and potentially divisive, it added.</p><p>They called on Governor Newsom and all officials concerned to consider the potential consequences of the bill on South Asian communities and prioritise a thoughtful and comprehensive approach to addressing discrimination, the statement said. PTI LKJ IJT IJT</p><p><i>(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)</i></p>
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