Supreme Court rules converts cannot claim caste-based reservation on pre-conversion status alone

The Supreme Court on Thursday (15 October) ruled that a person who converts from Hinduism to a non-Hindu religion cannot claim affirmative action benefits under Article 16(4) of the Constitution based solely on the social backwardness of their pre-conversion caste. A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Shree Chandrashekhar upheld the Madras High Court's decision to strike down a Tamil Nadu government order that allowed converts to Islam from Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes, Denotified Communities and Scheduled Castes to be classified as Backward Class Muslims for reservation purposes.

The Court held that the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order of 1950 restricts Scheduled Caste status to Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs, and that conversion to another religion severs that status. The judgment arose from the state's appeal against the High Court ruling, which had described the government order as unconstitutional. Barandbench.com reported the Court also observed that even if a convert later reconverts to Hinduism, they are not automatically entitled to reclaim pre-conversion backward status. Mathrubhumi noted the ruling does not establish a blanket prohibition on reservation for all religious converts but addresses the claim that pre-conversion caste status alone establishes eligibility.