Top court upholds Andhra Pradesh High Court verdict
The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday upheld a ruling of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, clarifying that a person who converts to Christianity and actively practices it cannot continue to claim Scheduled Caste (SC) status.
The bench said the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 clearly restricts SC identity to individuals who profess Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism.
The court noted that conversion to any religion not listed under Clause 3 of the 1950 Order leads to the immediate and complete loss of Scheduled Caste status, regardless of a person’s birth.
“No statutory benefit, protection or reservation or entitlement under the Constitution or enactment of Parliament or state legislature can be claimed by or extended to any person who by operation of clause 3 is not deemed to be a member of the Scheduled Caste. This bar is absolute and admits no exception. A person can’t simultaneously profess and practice a religion other than the one specified in clause 3 and claim membership of the Scheduled Caste,” the court observed.
Case background
The ruling came while the top court examined a case involving a man who had converted to Christianity and was serving as a pastor. Despite his conversion, he filed a complaint under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, alleging he had been assaulted.
The accused challenged the complaint, arguing that the pastor was not entitled to protections under the Act because he no longer belonged to the Scheduled Caste community after his conversion.
Court agrees with High Court
The Supreme Court agreed with the High Court’s reasoning that once the complainant converted and actively practiced Christianity, his Scheduled Caste status automatically ceased.
The matter originated from a criminal petition involving charges under provisions of the SC/ST Act along with sections of the Indian Penal Code related to assault, criminal intimidation and wrongful restraint.
According to the complaint, the pastor from Pittalavanipalem alleged that he faced repeated assaults, threats and caste-based abuse, prompting him to file a case.
However, the petitioner argued before the court that since the complainant had converted to Christianity and was actively serving as a pastor, he could no longer legally claim Scheduled Caste protections under the 1950 Order.
The Supreme Court upheld this argument, reaffirming that SC status cannot be retained after conversion to a religion outside those recognised under the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950.
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