American with a question here. In the U.S. you can legally change your name. What would happen if a Dalit went to court and petitioned to get his named changed to Gupta or Sharma?
The problem is that you need an entire stack of documentation for different sets of paperwork, and that comes with your old name. The only way to get a change done safely in ways that will not show a name change is by getting the name right at birth.
The weaker sections usually need the social support provided by their caste. They are therefore more likely to want to keep it.
It is easy to cosmetically change your caste, in schools if you are not "lower" caste you do not mention anything and you fall into "general category".
On the other hand you need to prove that you are "lower caste". As government benefits follow.
https://legaldesk.com/name-change/procedure-for-name-change-...
The problem is that you need an entire stack of documentation for different sets of paperwork, and that comes with your old name. The only way to get a change done safely in ways that will not show a name change is by getting the name right at birth.