New Delhi, March 25 The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Wednesday strongly disagreed with a Supreme Court order that endorsed a ruling stating that individuals who convert to Christianity and practice the faith cannot be considered members of the Scheduled Caste (SC) community.
In a statement, the Politburo said the judgment, which upheld an Andhra Pradesh High Court order, emphasizes religious identity over the socio-economic realities that form the basis for reservation and safeguards for the SCs.
"The idea of reservation and other safeguards afforded to the Scheduled Caste community is based on the socio-economic status of the concerned communities," the party said.
According to the CPI(M), the ruling "defeats the very objective" of reservation provisions as enshrined in the Constitution by prioritizing religion over entrenched social and economic disadvantages.
The party also called for the matter to be referred to a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court for reconsideration, saying a broader judicial review is necessary to examine and revise the current order.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday 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.
A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan, which upheld an order of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, said that a person belonging to a Scheduled Caste community loses his Scheduled Caste status "immediately and completely" upon conversion to Christianity.