The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that only persons belonging to the Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh faiths can claim the Scheduled Caste status, Bar and Bench reported.
A Dalit person converting to any religion other than the three loses his or her Scheduled Caste status, regardless of the status at birth, the court observed, citing Clause 3 of the 1950 Constitution Scheduled Caste Order.
Upholding an order passed by the Andhra Pradesh High Court in April 2025, a bench of Justices PK Mishra and Manmohan said that a Dalit person who converts to Christianity cannot claim the violation of the Scheduled Caste Act.
The order came on an appeal against the High Court ruling filed by a pastor, who alleged that he had faced caste discrimination and abuse.
He had filed a complaint under the 1989 Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Prevention of Atrocities Act and a first information report had been registered in the matter.
The person accused in the matter had challenged the case against him, arguing that the complainant had converted and was actively professing Christianity, Live Law reported.
The High Court had quashed the case, observing that the complaint no longer had the Scheduled Caste status after converting to Christianity.
Also read: Why proposed reservations for Dalit Muslims, Christians have sharply divided Ambedkarites
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