In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court on Tuesday declared that a person belonging to a Scheduled Caste community who converts to a religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism loses their Scheduled Caste status from the moment of conversion, regardless of their birth.
A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan, upholding an order of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, stated that a person belonging to a Scheduled Caste community loses their Scheduled Caste status "immediately and completely" upon converting to Christianity.
The bench noted that Article 342 of the Constitution, Clause (1) identifies the tribes and tribal communities recognized as "Scheduled Tribes" for different states and Union Territories (UTs).
The bench stated that a person can only claim benefits under the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 if they continue to belong to that particular tribe, and if conversion or a long-term abandonment of tribal customs casts doubt on their tribal identity, then this becomes a factual matter to be determined at trial.
"No person who professes a religion other than Hindu, Sikh, or Buddhist shall be deemed a member of a Scheduled Caste. This provision under Clause 3 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 is unequivocal 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 stated.
The Supreme Court emphasized that once a person belonging to a Scheduled Tribe converts to another religion, the customs, rituals, and other characteristics of that particular tribe may gradually fade over time.
"If so, in such circumstances, it can be proven that the person in question has completely renounced the customs, rituals, and other characteristics of his tribe, and has assimilated into the converted religion, following the practices and customs of that particular religion. This allows for the reasonable inference that such a person shall not be considered a part of the tribe," it said.
The Supreme Court noted that when a person ceases to be a member of a Scheduled Caste under the 1950 Order, the loss of this status carries with it the "automatic and immediate termination" of all eligibility for statutory benefits, protections, reservations, preferences, and entitlements that are predicated upon or flow from such membership.
The bench highlighted the legislative history of Clause 3 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, noting that originally it restricted Scheduled Caste status to persons professing the Hindu religion.
The bench pointed out that the order of 1950 was subsequently amended in 1956 to include persons professing the Sikh religion, and later, in 1990, it was extended to include persons professing the Buddhist religion.
"It is important to note that Christianity has not been included under this Order by any of these amendments," the Supreme Court stated, adding that Christianity, by its very theological foundation, does not recognize or incorporate the institution of caste.
Analyzing the 1950 Order, the bench stated that a claimant of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe status must demonstrably belong to a caste or tribe that is specifically notified and recognized under Clause 2 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 and Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, and such status must be established by clear, cogent, and unimpeachable evidence.
"A person cannot simultaneously profess and practice a religion other than the ones specified in Clause 3 of Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 and claim membership of a Scheduled Caste at the same time," it said.
Justice Mishra, who penned the verdict on behalf of the bench, stated that a person who professes and practices such a religion for personal, social, and spiritual purposes cannot, in law, assert membership of a Scheduled Caste for the purpose of securing statutory benefits.
The bench, however, stated that in cases where a person claims to have reconverted back to Hindu, Sikh, or Buddhist religion, then he has to fulfil three conditions – there must be a clear proof that the person originally belonged to a caste notified under the Order of 1950, there must be credible and unimpeachable evidence of bona fide reconversion to the original religion, and there must be credible evidence establishing acceptance and assimilation by the members of the original caste and the concerned community.
"Mere self-proclamation is insufficient – the community must recognize and accept the person as one of their own," it said.
The high court on April 30, 2025, held that once an individual converts to Christianity and actively professes and practices the faith, he cannot be regarded as a member of the Scheduled Caste community.
It had quashed charges filed by a complainant, Chinthada Anand, who had converted to Christianity and become a pastor but invoked the SC/ST Act in a criminal case.
The pastor filed a criminal case in 2021 against one Akkala Rami Reddy and others alleging that they assaulted him while he was performing pastoral duties and conducting Sunday prayers in a village in the state.
Aggrieved by the order, the pastor moved the apex court challenging the high court decision.