The Supreme Court has dismissed a review petition challenging its 24 March 2026 judgment holding that a person belonging to a Scheduled Caste loses their SC status upon converting to a religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism, as reported in The Hindu.
A Bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan rejected the plea, finding no error apparent on the face of the record.
The Bench also rejected an application seeking an oral hearing of the review petition.
“Application seeking oral hearing of the review petition is rejected. We have gone through the review petition and perused the judgment dated March 24, 2026, which has been sought to be reviewed. There is no error apparent on the record. The Review Petition is, accordingly, dismissed,” the Supreme Court said.
The review petition challenged the apex court’s March 24 verdict concerning the continuation of Scheduled Caste status following religious conversion.
The court’s earlier judgment held that the SC status of a person covered by the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 ceases from the date of conversion to a religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism.
The latest order leaves the March 24 judgment in place.
The Supreme Court’s decision is significant because Scheduled Caste status determines eligibility for various constitutional safeguards, reservations and welfare measures available to members of Scheduled Castes.
The Bench dismissed the review petition after examining the grounds raised against the earlier judgment and concluded that there was no apparent error warranting reconsideration.
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