The Supreme Court has denied reservation benefits for individuals converting from Hinduism to Islam or other non-Hindu religions based on their pre-conversion status.
The Supreme Court, in a ruling on a petition concerning a Tamil Nadu Government Order from March 2024, which sought to grant reservation benefits to converts, has declared that individuals converting from Hinduism to Islam or other non-Hindu religions cannot automatically claim such benefits under the Backwards Class category. The court affirmed that conversion to a non-Hindu social order does not by itself confer membership in any notified Backwards Class community.
In its decision, the Supreme Court also reiterated that anyone professing a religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism ceases to hold Scheduled Caste status. The court stated that statutory benefits under Article 16(4) of the Constitution cannot be extended solely on the basis of a person’s pre-conversion status.
Furthermore, the top court declared that private religious bodies cannot determine statutory entitlements, and reconversion to Hinduism would require independent, fact-specific verification by competent authorities.
Source:
Akashvani News
