By Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi, March 24: The Supreme Court has ruled that individuals from Scheduled Caste (SC) backgrounds who convert to Christianity or other religions outside Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism will lose their SC status and related benefits. This decision was made while upholding an Andhra Pradesh High Court ruling that a person who converts to Christianity and continues to practice the faith cannot claim SC status.
The apex court emphasized that the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, restricts SC status to persons professing Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism, and conversion to another religion results in “immediate and complete loss” of such status. The court also noted that a person cannot simultaneously profess another religion and claim SC status.
This ruling was made in the case of a pastor who had converted to Christianity and was working as a pastor but filed a complaint under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, alleging caste-based abuse. The court ruled that he was no longer eligible for SC status or protections under the Act, as he was a practicing, Christian.
The decision has sparked debate, with some arguing that it discriminates against converts and others seeing it as a necessary measure to prevent misuse of reservation benefits.
