The Supreme Court on 24 March 2026 upheld an order of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, ruling that a person who converts to Christianity and continues to profess and practice the religion cannot be regarded as a member of a Scheduled Caste.
As reported in LiveLaw, the Court held that individuals professing religions other than Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism are not eligible to be recognised as members of Scheduled Castes under the Constitution. It further clarified that conversion to any other religion results in the immediate and complete loss of Scheduled Caste status.
Referring to the Constitution (Scheduled Caste) Order, 1950, the bench observed that the restriction under Clause 3 is absolute. The Court stated that conversion to a religion not specified in the Order leads to an automatic loss of Scheduled Caste status, irrespective of a person’s birth.
The bench emphasised, “No statutory benefit, protection or reservation or entitlement under the Constitution or enactment of Parliament or state legislature can be claimed by or extended to any person who, by operation of clause 3, is not deemed to be a member of the Scheduled Caste. This bar is absolute and admits no exception. A person can’t simultaneously profess and practice a religion other than the one specified in clause 3 and claim membership of the Scheduled caste.”
The ruling arose from a case involving a man who had converted to Christianity and was functioning as a pastor. He had filed a complaint under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act alleging assault and caste-based abuse. The accused challenged the applicability of the SC/ST Act on the ground that the complainant, having converted, was no longer a member of a Scheduled Caste.
The Andhra Pradesh High Court, by its order dated April 30, 2025, had held that the caste system is alien to Christianity and that a person who converts cannot invoke protections under the SC/ST Act. Justice Harinath N had quashed the charges filed by the complainant.
Challenging this, the pastor approached the Supreme Court through a special leave petition.
A bench comprising Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice N V Anjaria upheld the High Court’s decision, noting that the petitioner had not reconverted to his original religion nor been accepted back into his community.
The Court observed, “In the present case, it is not the case of the petitioner that he re-converted from Christianity to his original religion or has been accepted back in the folds of the Madiga community. On the contrary, the evidence establishes that the appellant continued to profess Christianity and has been functioning as a pastor for more than a decade, conducting regular Sunday prayers at the houses of the village. It is also admitted that at the time of the alleged incident, he was conducting prayer meetings at the house. These concurrent facts leave no room for doubt that he continued to remain a Christian on the date of the occurrence.”
Case Background
The matter originated from a criminal petition involving allegations under Sections 3(1)(r), 3(1)(s), and 3(2)(va) of the SC/ST Act, along with Sections 341, 506, and 323 read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code.
According to the complaint, the pastor, who conducted Sunday prayers in Pittalavanipalem village, alleged that he was assaulted, threatened, and abused in the name of caste. A case was registered, and following investigation, a charge sheet was filed.
The accused then approached the High Court seeking quashing of charges, arguing that the complainant, having converted to Christianity and serving as a pastor, could not claim Scheduled Caste status under the law.
The respondents countered that the complainant possessed a valid caste certificate issued by the Tahsildar of Pittalavanipalem Mandal and that the investigation had been completed with statements from multiple witnesses.
On this aspect, the Supreme Court noted that issues relating to the validity or cancellation of caste certificates fall within the domain of the competent authority under the Andhra Pradesh (Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes) Regulation of Issue of Community Certificates Act, 1993. However, it clarified that mere non-cancellation of a caste certificate does not entitle a person to claim protection under the SC/ST Act after conversion.
The Court ultimately upheld the High Court’s ruling, affirming that the bar on Scheduled Caste status upon conversion to Christianity remains absolute under the existing constitutional framework.
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