The discussion that follows has two primary locations: the first is related to the human rights struggles in India, particularly in relation to the Dalits and other oppressed sections of society, the second is about subaltern studies which emerged as a radical rereading of history, particularly history as viewed from below. Both are related to providing voice to the people who are oppressed and marginalized in the mainstream society, and they seem to have some common concerns and focus, not just in the choice of this subject, but also in the manner of investigation. The main objective of this chapter is to map the discourse on subaltern studies with reference to human rights question in India in order to examine how the subaltern condition of Dalits can be understood. A comparative analysis of the two discourses, it is hoped, would bring to focus the actual nature of Dalit subalternity and the multiple ways in which it manifests in Indian society. In addition to developing a critique of subaltern studies from a caste perspective, the study would try to locate the caste question within a human rights discourse. It is well known that subaltern studies, which began as a conscious rejection of elitist and bourgeoisie-nationalist approaches to the study of Indian history, was also an attempt at exploring alternative approaches to the study of social science that is rooted within the Third World context.