New Delhi, Mar 24 — The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that a person belonging to a Scheduled Caste (SC) community loses that status upon converting to a religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism, holding that such individuals cannot claim constitutional protections or benefits reserved for SCs.
A Bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and N.V. Anjaria upheld an April 30, 2025 order of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which had quashed criminal proceedings filed under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act by a man who had converted to Christianity.
“No statutory benefit, protection or reservation or entitlement… can be claimed by or extended to any person who… is not deemed to be a member of the Scheduled Caste,” the Bench said.
“This bar is absolute and admits no exception. A person can't simultaneously profess and practice a religion other than the one specified… and claim membership of the Scheduled Caste,” it added.
The court relied on the Constitution (Scheduled Caste) Order, 1950, noting that conversion to a religion not listed under Clause 3 results in “immediate loss” of SC status, regardless of birth.
The case pertained to a pastor, Chinthada Anand, who had filed a criminal complaint in 2021 alleging assault and caste-based abuse while conducting Sunday prayers in a village in Andhra Pradesh. He invoked provisions of the IPC and the SC/ST Act against the accused.
The High Court had quashed the charges, observing 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,” adding that the caste system is “alien to Christianity.”
Affirming the findings, the Supreme Court said evidence showed the petitioner “continued to profess Christianity” and had been functioning as a pastor for over a decade.
“It is not the case… that he re-converted… or has been accepted back into the folds of the Madiga community,” the Bench noted.
“On the contrary… he has been conducting regular Sunday prayers… These… leave no room for doubt that he continued to remain a Christian on the date of the occurrence,” it said.