Race is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, which bans direct and indirect race discrimination, victimisation and harassment. However, employers can justify indirect race discrimination to achieve a legitimate aim through proportionate means.
Under the Equality Act 2010, “race” means colour, nationality or ethnic or national origins. Although caste is not specifically covered in the Equality Act's definition of race, case law shows that it is possible for an employee to bring a claim for race discrimination on the basis of caste (Chandok and another v Tirkey).