Supreme Court junks review plea against verdict on loss of Scheduled Caste status upon religious conversion
The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea seeking a review of the apex court judgement, which held that a person from a Scheduled Caste community
The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea seeking a review of the apex court judgement, which held that a person from a Scheduled Caste community converting to a religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism loses the Scheduled Castestatus from the moment of conversion. A Bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan dismissed the petition against the March 24 verdict, saying there is no error apparent on the record. "Application seeking oral hearing of the review petition is rejected. We have gone through the review petition and perused the judgment dated March 24, 2026, which has been sought to be reviewed. There is no error apparent on the record. The Review Petition is, accordingly, dismissed," the top court said in its July 15 order passed on the review petition. On March 24, in a significant decision, the top court held that a Scheduled Caste community person converting to a religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism loses the SC status from the moment of conversion regardless of birth. It upheld an order of the Andhra Pradesh High Court which said that a person belonging to a Scheduled Caste community loses his Scheduled Caste status "immediately and completely" upon conversion to Christianity. The top court had said under Clause (1) of Article 342 of the Constitution, the President of India promulgated the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order of 1950, identifying the tribes and tribal communities recognised as "Scheduled Tribes" for different States and Union Territories (UTs).
It had said a person can claim benefits under the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 only if he/ she continues to belong to that particular tribe in substance and if, due to conversion or long-term abandonment of tribal customs, his/ her tribal identity is in doubt, that question becomes a factual matter to be determined at trial. "No person who professes a religion other than Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist shall be deemed to be a member of a Scheduled Caste. This bar under Clause 3 of the Constitution [Scheduled Castes] Order, 1950 is categorical and absolute. Conversion to any religion not specified in Clause 3 results in immediate and complete loss of Scheduled Caste status from the moment of conversion regardless of birth," it had said. The top court had further said once a person belonging to a Scheduled Tribe converts to another religion, ultimately through the passage of time, the customs, rituals and other traits of that particular tribe may fall into eclipse. "If so, in such circumstances, it is proved that the person in question has completely renounced himself from the customs, rituals and other traits of his tribe, and has assimilated into the converted religion following the practices and customs of that particular religion, a reasonable inference can be drawn that such a person shall not be considered a part of the tribe," it had said.
The BriefWire