Supreme Court: Converts Lose Scheduled Caste Status

New Delhi, India – The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that individuals who convert to religions other than Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism forfeit their Scheduled Caste status and cannot claim protections under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, upholding a decision by the Andhra Pradesh High Court in a case involving a Christian pastor.

The bench, comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and N.V. Anjaria, emphasized that the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, explicitly limits Scheduled Caste membership to those professing Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism. Conversion to any other faith results in an immediate and absolute loss of such status, barring access to statutory benefits, reservations, or protections afforded to Scheduled Castes under the Constitution or related laws.

The ruling stemmed from an appeal by Chinthada Anand, a pastor from Andhra Pradesh who alleged he faced caste-based discrimination, assaults, and death threats from Akkala Ramireddy and others in his village. Anand, originally from the Madiga community classified as a Scheduled Caste, filed a complaint under the SC/ST Act in 2025. Police registered a first...