Supreme Court of India Rules SC Status Lost After Conversion Beyond Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist Faiths

The Supreme Court of India has ruled that individuals who convert to religions other.

Than Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism cannot claim Scheduled Caste (SC) status under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. A Bench of Justices PK Mishra and Manmohan said the bar under the Constitution (Scheduled Caste) Order, 1950 is absolute, making it clear that conversion to any non-specified religion results in the immediate loss of SC status, irrespective of birth.

“No person professing a religion other than Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist shall be deemed a member of a Scheduled Caste,” the court observed, as per LiveLaw.

The ruling came as the apex court upheld an order of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which had quashed an FIR filed under the SC/ST Act by a man who had converted to Christianity and was serving as a pastor.

The petitioner, Chinthada Anand, had accused certain individuals of assault and sought protection under the SC/ST Act. However, the High Court held that his conversion and continued practice of Christianity meant he could no longer be considered part of a Scheduled Caste community.

Affirming this view, the Supreme Court noted that Anand had neither reconverted nor been accepted back into his original community, and had been actively functioning as a pastor for over a decade.

The court also reiterated that mere possession of an SC certificate does not override the legal position, as conversion to a religion where caste distinctions are not recognised nullifies SC status.