Supreme Court: Supreme Court’s historic decision on conversion! If you accept Christianity, you will lose your Scheduled Caste status
- Supreme Court’s historic decision on conversion!
- If you accept Christianity, you will lose your Scheduled Caste status
- If you convert to another religion, you lose your Scheduled Caste status
Supreme Court on Conversion To Religion Other Than Hinduism : The Supreme Court on Tuesday (March 24) delivered an important verdict. Hindua person practicing a religion other than Sikhism or Buddhism cannot be considered a member of a Scheduled Caste. The court further said that conversion to another religion results in loss of Scheduled Caste status.
Justice P. K. Mishra and N. V. The Anjaria bench ruled that a Dalit convert to Christianity cannot claim violation of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. According to a Bar and Bench report, the court ruled, “No person practicing a religion other than Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist can be considered a member of a Scheduled Caste. Conversion to another religion results in loss of Scheduled Caste status.” Also under Section 3 no statutory benefit, protection, reservation or right can be conferred under the Constitution or under any Act or State Legislature to a person who is not considered a member of a Scheduled Caste, this prohibition is absolute.”
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Supreme Court It is said that no person can at the same time follow a religion other than the religion mentioned in Section 3 and also claim to be a member of a Scheduled Caste. The Court held that in cases where a person claims to have converted back to Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism from a religion not mentioned in Article 3 of the Constitutional Order, the three conditions must be proved simultaneously and completely. Conversion to any religion not mentioned in Section 3, irrespective of the status of birth, immediately and completely loses the Scheduled Caste status from the moment of conversion.
What exactly is the case?
The Supreme Court decision was delivered on an appeal filed by Pastor Chinthada Anand against the May 2025 judgment of the Andhra Pradesh High Court. Anand had alleged that he faced caste discrimination and harassment from Akka Ramireddy and others. They lodged a complaint against him under the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Act and the police registered an FIR on that basis. Ramireddy then approached the High Court to quash the case.
Justice N. Harinatha quashed the FIR on the ground that Anand had lost his Scheduled Caste status due to his conversion to Christianity and therefore could not claim protection under the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Act. The court also said that Anand’s possession of a Scheduled Caste certificate would not help his case, as conversion to Christianity, where caste discrimination does not exist, invalidated his Scheduled Caste status. Anand then approached the Supreme Court to appeal.
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