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Assembly of the All India Jain Conference 14 March 1925, Śravanabesagoia (Source: Jaina Gazette 1925)
Despite their different religious beliefs and practices, for all practical purposes 'Jainas' are treated as 'Hindus' by the Indian state. Jainas were not even granted religious 'minority' status after the introduction of the National Commission of Minorities Act of 1992, except on the basis of differential state legislation. The controversial judgement of Bal Patil v Union of India (AIR 2005 SC 3172) states:
“Hinduism can be called a general religion and common faith of India whereas ‘Jainism' is a special religion formed on the basis of [the] quintessence of Hindu religion.”
The process in modern Indian legal history of narrowing the semantic range of the modern term 'Jaina law' from 'Jain scriptures' down to 'Jain personal law' and finally 'Jain custom' may thus culminate not only in the official obliteration of Jaina legal culture, which continues to thrive outside the formal legal system23 in monastic law, ethics and custom, but also of Jaina 'religion'.
23 Cf. Menski 2006.
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