The Constitution of India recognises

The Constitution of India recognises minorities specifically on the bases of religion and language. The National Commission for Minorities notes that the Constitution speaks of minorities “based on religion or language,” and details constitutional safeguards accordingly [1]. Article 30 expressly grants both religious and linguistic minorities the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice, reinforcing recognition of these two categories [2]. Article 29 protects “any section of the citizens… having a distinct language, script or culture” to conserve it, which underlines constitutional protection for linguistic (and cultural) minorities but does not create a separate constitutional category labelled ‘ethnic’ minorities [3]. Therefore the correct option is: religious and linguistic minorities.

Sources

1. [1] https://ncm.nic.in/home/pdf/about%20ncm/constitutional_provisions.pdf
2. [2] https://www.maef.nic.in/sites/default/files/MAEF635157210791161227_national%20commission%20for%20minority%20(1).pdf
3. [3] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 8: Fundamental Rights > III Protection of Interests of Minority Groups > p. 95