Supreme Court of India Says SC Status Ends on Conversion Outside Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist Religions

The Supreme Court of India has held that a person who converts to a religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism loses their Scheduled Caste (SC) status and cannot seek protection under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

A Bench of Justices PK Mishra and Manmohan said the restriction under the Constitution (Scheduled Caste) Order, 1950 is absolute, making it clear that conversion to any non-specified religion leads to the loss of SC status, regardless of birth.

The ruling came while upholding an order of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which had quashed an FIR filed by a man who had converted to Christianity and was working as a pastor. The petitioner, Chinthada Anand, had alleged assault and invoked provisions of the SC/ST Act. However, the High Court ruled that his continued profession and practice of Christianity meant he could not be treated as a member of a Scheduled Caste.

Agreeing with this view, the Supreme Court noted that Anand had neither reconverted to his original faith nor been accepted back into his community, and had been serving as a pastor for over a decade.

The court also clarified that holding an SC certificate does not change the legal position, as conversion to a religion outside those specified nullifies SC status.