Supreme Court: BC(M) not automatic for Tamil Nadu Muslim converts
The Supreme Court has ruled that people who convert to Islam from Hinduism in Tamil Nadu cannot automatically get the Backward Class (Muslim) reservation.
The judges made it clear: just changing your religion does not mean you keep or gain reservation benefits based on your earlier social status.
Court rejects Tamil Nadu BC(M) inclusion
This decision came after Tamil Nadu tried to include converts to Islam from Backward Classes (BC), Most Backward Classes (MBC), Denotified Communities (DNC), and Scheduled Castes (SC) under its 3.5% BC(M) quota, but the court said that is not allowed by law.
The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 only recognizes certain religious groups for these reservations, so the rules cannot be stretched based on someone's past background.
This could have a big impact on how reservations work for different communities in the state.