Supreme Court rules SC status lost on conversion to Christianity
The Supreme Court just confirmed that if someone with Scheduled Caste (SC) status converts to Christianity (or any religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism), they immediately lose all SC benefits.
The judges dismissed a challenge to their earlier decision, saying there was "no error apparent on the record" and made it clear: changing religions means your SC status doesn't stick around.
Constitution Order 1950 excludes Christian converts
This rule comes from the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, which only recognizes Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhist converts as eligible for SC benefits.
Christians are excluded because their religion doesn't have caste-based structures.
The court also said anyone trying to reclaim SC status after reconverting must prove they belonged to an SC originally and genuinely returned to their ancestral faith, and must also provide credible evidence of acceptance and assimilation by the members of the original caste and the concerned community.