Two New York state bills aimed at adding caste as a protected category under the Human Rights Law failed to advance during the 2026 legislative session, drawing praise from the Coalition of Hindus of North America.
ALBANY, N.Y. — The New York State Legislature has opted not to advance two bills that sought to include caste as a protected category under the state’s Human Rights Law. This decision has been met with approval from the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA), which opposed the proposed legislation.
The bills in question, Senate Bill S.6531 and Assembly Bill A.6920, were introduced in 2025 and aimed to establish caste protections within New York law. CoHNA argued that these measures would disproportionately impact Hindus, Indians, and South Asians, asserting that existing laws already provide sufficient protections against discrimination.
In the lead-up to the legislative session, CoHNA engaged in a grassroots campaign that included meetings with state lawmakers, outreach efforts to community members, and the distribution of a memorandum outlining their legal and constitutional concerns regarding the proposed bills.
Sudha Jagannathan, CoHNA’s director of government relations, described the outcome as a significant victory for advocacy and civil rights, particularly in the face of pressure from influential academics and activists. “This is a win for advocacy and civil rights in the face of immense pressure from elite academics and activists with access to powerful media and political players,” she stated.
Jagannathan, who identifies as a Bahujan Hindu, expressed her discontent with the idea that New York State would attempt to use her identity against her cultural heritage. “I find it offensive that New York State would try to weaponize my identity against my own culture and traditions that provide me solace and strength,” she remarked.
CoHNA also highlighted the involvement of its Dalit-Bahujan leadership team, who met with lawmakers to voice their opposition to what they perceive as efforts to depict Hindu temples as venues of discrimination and exclusion.
Additionally, CoHNA referenced a 2024 study conducted by Rutgers University’s Social Perception Lab and the Network Contagion Research Institute, which they believe supports their concerns regarding caste-related policies and the public perception of Hindus and Indian Americans.
“This was yet another attempt to misuse a noble desire for social justice and subvert it to drive hate against a minority, like we saw in California in 2023,” said Nikunj Trivedi, president of CoHNA. He emphasized the need to understand that the term “caste” is not neutral, noting that decades of misinformation have led to its primary association with Hindu and Indian communities in the public consciousness.
CoHNA also pointed to previous caste-related legal disputes, including a 2021 lawsuit against Sundar Iyer in California and a caste discrimination case involving Cisco. They argue that these cases illustrate the potential risks of assigning caste identities based solely on an individual’s background.
Furthermore, CoHNA contended that there is no evidence of systemic caste discrimination in the United States and criticized ongoing efforts by academics and activists to promote caste-specific policies.
With the conclusion of the legislative session, the proposed bills will not advance this year, marking a significant moment in the ongoing discourse surrounding caste and discrimination in the U.S.
According to India West, the Coalition of Hindus of North America remains committed to advocating for the rights and representation of Hindu and Indian communities in the face of these legislative challenges.