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The communicative truthful far: The Supreme Court of India ruled connected Tuesday (March 24, 2026) that a Pastor from the Madiga assemblage successful Andhra Pradesh could not assertion to beryllium a subordinate of a Scheduled Caste arsenic helium had converted to a religion that was not covered nether the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, which the tribunal says imposes a religion barroom that is “absolute”.
The Supreme Court upheld an Andhra Pradesh High Court determination that ruled the aforesaid successful an alleged lawsuit of atrocity, wherever the Pastor reported that helium was assaulted and threatened by immoderate members of his colony successful Guntur territory portion helium was holding a Sunday supplication astatine a resident’s home. The accused had approached the High Court with the contention that the Pastor, Chinthada Anand, could not assertion Scheduled Caste presumption due to the fact that helium had converted faiths, and truthful provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act could not beryllium applicable successful the case. Mr. Anand approached the Supreme Court, which upheld this determination of the High Court.
Can a idiosyncratic of Christian religion beryllium Scheduled Caste?
In the judgement, a Bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan laid down that the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, intelligibly defines the parameters nether which Scheduled Castes successful the state are to beryllium identified. This bid includes a Clause that says, “no idiosyncratic who professes a religion antithetic from the Hindu, the Sikh oregon the Buddhist] religion shall beryllium deemed to beryllium a subordinate of a Scheduled Caste.”
The judgement holds that this barroom connected religion imposed by the Const. (SC) Order was an “absolute” 1 without immoderate exceptions. In interpreting this barroom connected religion, the Supreme Court has said that the word “profess” present “connotes to publically state oregon signifier a religion. The essence of the connection lies successful the unfastened avowal of one’s spiritual beliefs successful a mode discernible to the nationalist astatine large. It is not simply a question of idiosyncratic content oregon backstage conviction, but requires an outward manifestation of one’s faith”.
In the lawsuit it was looking at, the Court noted successful its March 24 judgement that the appellant “professes Christianity”, which was not mentioned successful the Constitution Order. “Irrespective of the appellant’s caste of origin, helium cannot beryllium deemed to beryllium a subordinate of a Scheduled Caste,” the tribunal held, adding, “Conversion to immoderate religion not specified successful Clause 3 results successful contiguous and implicit nonaccomplishment of Scheduled Caste presumption from the infinitesimal of conversion careless of birth.”
Further, the tribunal went connected to accidental that “Christianity, by its precise theological foundation, does not admit oregon incorporated the instauration of caste.” The tribunal held that the infinitesimal 1 ceases to beryllium a subordinate of a Scheduled Caste by virtuousness of converting faiths, “the nonaccomplishment of specified presumption carries with it the automatic and contiguous termination of each eligibility for statutory benefits, protections, reservations, preferences and entitlements that are predicated upon oregon travel from specified membership”, which see protections nether the SC/ST Act.
Even though Mr. Anand argued that helium had a caste certificate showing helium belonged to the Madiga community, which is designated arsenic a Scheduled Caste, the Supreme Court said, “Mere accumulation of a certificate cannot override the admitted information that the appellant is simply a practising Christian”, saying, “There is nary grounds whatsoever to suggest that the appellant reconverted to Hinduism oregon that the assemblage accepted him back.”
Is this question new? What is the Centre’s presumption connected this?
The Supreme Court has been dealing with the question of Scheduled Caste presumption for radical historically belonging to Dalit communities who person converted to Islam oregon Christianity implicit time. A petition to accord Scheduled Caste presumption for Dalit Christians and Muslims was filed successful 2004, which continues to beryllium heard today.
While proceeding these matters, done the years, the petitioners person argued that respective communities crossed the state had historically belonged to the Scheduled Caste groups but had, implicit time, converted to faiths similar Christianity and Islam. Even though their prime of religion whitethorn person been led by the privation to beryllium freed of their caste, the petitioners person argued that successful India, caste had entered faiths similar Christianity and Islam arsenic well. They person cited government-commissioned reports from the archetypal decennary of the 21st Century supporting their presumption that Dalit Muslims and Christians should beryllium accorded Scheduled Caste status.
Meanwhile, the Union authorities has relied connected the Constitution (SC) Order, 1950, and argued that Dalit Muslims and Christians should proceed to beryllium excluded due to the fact that of the “foreign origin” of these faiths arsenic opposed to Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism.
The petitioners person argued, however, that the Constitution (SC) Order, 1950, had been amended implicit the years, archetypal to broadly see Sikhism successful the 1950s and past to see Buddhism successful 1990, successful effect to a ample fig of radical successful definite parts of the state turning to Buddhism, heeding Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar’s call.
In October 2022, the Centre constituted a Commission of Inquiry headed by erstwhile Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan to analyse the contented of whether Scheduled Caste presumption tin beryllium accorded to converts to Islam and Christianity. This Commission’s deadline, aft respective extensions, is acceptable to get successful April this year.
What astir radical who person ‘reconverted’ to Hinduism, Sikhism, oregon Buddhism?
Even arsenic the Centre’s Commission of Inquiry is yet to taxable its report, pending which the Supreme Court Bench proceeding these matters volition proceed, the Bench of Justices Mishra and Manmohan, connected March 24, laid down the threshold for what counts arsenic “reconversion”, what is the load of impervious for this and who this load indispensable autumn upon.
In the March 24 judgement, the Supreme Court noted that if a idiosyncratic of Scheduled Caste root claimed that they had “reconverted” to immoderate of the faiths mentioned successful the Constitution (SC) Order, 1950, 3 circumstantial conditions indispensable beryllium met “cumulatively and conclusively”. These are: the idiosyncratic indispensable beryllium capable to beryllium that they “originally belonged” to a Scheduled Caste group, determination indispensable beryllium “credible and unimpeachable grounds of bona fide reconversion to the archetypal religion”, and “acceptance and assimilation by members of the archetypal caste and acrophobic community” indispensable beryllium evidenced.
In laying down these conditions, the apical tribunal said, “All the supra 3 conditions are mandatory and cumulative. The load of proving reconversion lies wholly connected the claimant, to beryllium proven done unimpeachable evidence.”
In elaborating connected the impervious of “reconversion”, the Supreme Court said that this should beryllium accompanied by “complete and unequivocal renunciation of the religion to which conversion had taken place, full dissociation therefrom, and existent adoption and observance of the customs, usages, practices, rituals, and spiritual obligations of the archetypal caste”. Further, the tribunal said, “Mere self-proclamation is insufficient i.e., the assemblage indispensable admit and judge the idiosyncratic arsenic 1 of their own.”
What astir the Scheduled Tribes?
While the Supreme Court has held that the religion barroom for the Scheduled Castes was “absolute”, for the Scheduled Tribe category, determination was nary specified religion-based exclusion prescribed successful the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950. “The determination of Scheduled Tribe status, therefore, cannot remainder connected conversion alone, but indispensable crook connected whether the claimant continues to person and is recognised for the indispensable attributes of tribal identity, including customary practices, societal organisation, assemblage life, and acceptance by the acrophobic tribal community,” the tribunal held.
“Where conversion oregon consequent behaviour results successful a implicit severance from the tribal mode of beingness and nonaccomplishment of assemblage recognition, the foundational ground for Scheduled Tribes presumption volition basal eroded. Conversely, wherever specified attributes demonstrably subsist oregon are genuinely re-established and accepted by the tribal community, the assertion cannot beryllium rejected mechanically. The appraisal successful specified cases is needfully fact-specific and is near to the competent authorization to determine successful accordance with Constitutional principles,” the apical tribunal said.
The lack of a spiritual regularisation for STs is seen successful however hundreds of ST communities successful antithetic parts of the state are seen professing Christianity, Islam, and respective different indigenous faiths, specified arsenic Sarnaism. And portion determination are States similar Nagaland oregon regions similar Jammu and Kashmir, wherever full ST communities whitethorn have, implicit time, converted to Islam oregon Christianity, determination are besides States similar Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh, wherever determination has been a emergence of Adivasi movements insisting that ST communities that had converted to faiths different than indigenous ones should beryllium disentitled from getting statutory benefits meant for STs.
