New Delhi, March 24, 2026
The Supreme Court of India ruled on March 24, 2026, that individuals who convert from Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism to any other religion, including Christianity, immediately lose their Scheduled Caste (SC) status.
A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and NV Anjaria, upholding an order of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, said that a person belonging to a Scheduled Caste community loses his SC status immediately and completely upon conversion to another religion.
The Ruling
The Court held that no person who professes a religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism can be regarded as a member of a Scheduled Caste. Conversion to any other religion results in the immediate and complete loss of Scheduled Caste status.
The top court noted that the Constitution (Scheduled Caste) Order, 1950, has made it clear that conversion to any religion not specified in Clause 3 of the 1950 order results in immediate loss of Scheduled Caste status, regardless of birth, and this bar was “absolute”.
The Court stated: “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 falls outside Clause 3. “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.”
Background of the Case
The verdict came while hearing an appeal by pastor Chinthada Anand, who had challenged a May 2025 Andhra Pradesh High Court ruling, claiming he was subjected to caste-based discrimination and abuse.
Anand alleged that he faced caste discrimination and abuse from one Akkala Ramireddy and others. He filed a complaint against them under the SC/ST Act, and the police lodged an FIR based on the same. Ramireddy then approached the High Court to quash the case. Justice N Harinath quashed the FIR on the ground that Anand had lost his SC status upon conversion to Christianity and, therefore, cannot claim protection under the SC/ST Act.
Against this, the pastor filed a Special Leave Petition before the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court’s Observations
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 into 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.”
The bench added: “These concurrent facts leave no room for doubt that he continued to remain a Christian on the date of the occurrence.”
SC Certificate Does Not Help After Conversion
The Court also held that Anand holding an SC certificate will not help his case since conversion to Christianity, where caste distinctions do not exist, nullifies SC status.
The Court added that mere non-cancellation of the caste certificate does not entitle Respondent 2 to be protected by the SC/ST Act after conversion.
Implications of the Judgment
The primary legal question before the Court was whether a person originally belonging to a Scheduled Caste can continue to claim the benefits of that status after converting to a religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism.
SC status can only be restored if a person reconverts to Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism and is accepted back into the community.
Legal experts noted that the Supreme Court’s decision reinforces the constitutional and statutory framework governing SC status, ensuring that protections are limited to those who remain within the specified religious categories. The ruling is expected to have significant implications for similar cases across the country.
