In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court of India on Tuesday ruled that individuals who convert to Christianity are no longer eligible to claim Scheduled Caste (SC) status or avail protection under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
A bench comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan affirmed the ruling of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, noting that a person who converts to and continues to practise Christianity can no longer be regarded as a member of a Scheduled Caste.
The court highlighted that, under the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, Scheduled Caste status is limited to individuals who follow Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism.
“The bar is absolute,” the bench said, adding that conversion to any other religion results in immediate loss of SC status, regardless of birth.
“No statutory benefit, protection, reservation or entitlement can be claimed by a person who is not deemed to be a member of the Scheduled Caste under the 1950 Order,” the court noted.
The verdict came in a petition filed by a pastor who, despite converting to Christianity, had invoked provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, alleging assault and caste-based abuse.
Earlier, Justice Harinath N of the High Court had quashed the charges under the SC/ST Act, holding that caste is “alien to Christianity” and therefore protections under the Act could not be invoked by a convert.
Before the apex court, it was established that the petitioner had been actively practising Christianity and functioning as a pastor for over a decade, including conducting regular prayer meetings.
The bench observed that there was no evidence of reconversion or re-acceptance into his original caste community.
“These facts leave no room for doubt that he continued to remain a Christian on the date of the occurrence,” the court said.
Addressing the argument that the complainant still held a valid caste certificate, the court clarified that mere non-cancellation of such a certificate does not restore SC status after conversion. It said the validity of the certificate must be examined separately under relevant state law.
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Dismissing the plea, the court allowed criminal proceedings to continue only under general penal provisions, excluding charges under the SC/ST Act.
The case, Chinthada Anand vs State of Andhra Pradesh and Ors, reinforces the legal position that religious conversion outside the specified faiths leads to loss of Scheduled Caste recognition and related protections.
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