The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court recently ruled that granting Scheduled Caste (SC) status to a Christian amounts to a constitutional violation. As a result, the court disqualified AIADMK member V. Amutha Rani from her position as chairperson of the Theroor town panchayat in Kanniyakumari district. The post was reserved for candidates from the SC community.
Justice L. Victoria Gowri delivered the judgment in response to a petition filed by DMK ward member V. Iyyappan, who had contested the same post. According to the court, although Amutha Rani was born into the Hindu Pallar community—recognized as an SC group—she married a Christian man from the Backward Class category in 2005 under the Indian Christian Marriage Act. This law permits marriage solely between individuals who identify as Christians.
The judge rejected Rani’s argument that she had neither been baptized nor formally converted to Christianity. The court held that by choosing to marry under the Indian Christian Marriage Act, Rani had effectively adopted Christianity, thereby renouncing her original religion.
As per the Tamil Nadu Government Servants (Conditions of Service) Act, 2016, individuals practicing religions other than Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism are not eligible for Scheduled Caste status. Given that the panchayat chairperson is a public office, this legal restriction applies to Rani as well. Consequently, the court ruled that she could not claim to be a Hindu or avail the benefits reserved for Scheduled Castes in public appointments.
(With Inputs From TNIE)
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally
