Scheduled Caste status ends after conversion from Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism to other religions: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court, in a ruling on March 24,2026, affirmed that conversion to any religion not specified in Clause 3 of the 1950 Order results in an immediate and complete loss of SC status, irrespective of birth. The Supreme Court ruled that a person who professes a religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism cannot be a member of a Scheduled Caste. A two judge bench headed by Justice PK Mishra.

While upholding the April 30, 2025, order of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, the bench said that the position is made clear by the Constitution (Scheduled Caste) Order, 1950. Mandates that “no person who professes a religion different from Hinduism shall be deemed to be a member of a Scheduled Caste”. A Scheduled caste person who converts to Christianity cannot claim violation of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. This bar is absolute and admits no exception.

Constitutional bias: Under Article 341 of the Constitution, the President specifies which castes are treated as Scheduled Castes. This is done through the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, which originally restricted SC status only to Hindus, and later amendments extended it to Sikhs(1956), and Buddhists (1990). This means SC status is legally linked not only to caste but also to religion.

The reason given by Courts is the concept of Scheduled Castes is based on historical social discrimination (untouchability). Such caste based disabilities were traditionally associated with Hindu social system. Since religions like Islam and Christianity do not recognize caste in the same way, the legal basis for SC classification is considered to no longer apply after conversion.

Demands for Inclusion: There have been various demands for including Pasmanda Muslims, also known as Dalit Christians in the SC category. These demands were based on the premise that social disabilities and educational backwardness, rather than religion, should be the criterion for special treatment. The National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities (NCRLM), chaired by Ranganath Misra, concluded in its 2007 report that the Constitution of India does not restrict the Scheduled Caste to any selected religion.

Historical Cases:

1.       S. Rajagopal v. C.M. Armugam: Rajagopal was born into an SC (Adi Dravida) Hindu community. He converted to Christianity in 1949. Later he contested and won election from a seat reserved for SC candidates. His election was declared invalid because the Supreme Court held that after converting to Christianity, he ceased to be an SC as per the law at that time.

2.       The “Right to Convert” Ruling: Rev. Stanislaus v. State of Madhya Pradesh (1977): The Court held that the right to propagate one's religion under article 25(1) means to transmit one's beliefs but does not include converting another person to one`s own faith.

At the same time, ongoing debates and studies,  including those by commissions like the one led by K.G. Balkrishnan, reflects a growing demand to reassess this policy. Thus, the contemporary scenario calls for a balanced and evidence based approach that upholds constitutional principles of equality while addressing the ground realities of social discrimination , ensuring that justice is not limited by religious boundaries.

The writer can be contacted at shrutikadabur1@gmail.com