Reservation Benefits Cannot Be Transferred After Religious Conversion: Supreme Court
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
The Supreme Court has upheld the Madras High Court’s verdict quashing a Tamil Nadu government order that allowed people who converted from Hinduism to Islam to claim reservation under the ‘Backward Class Muslims’ category. The court ruled that caste-based social backwardness in the Hindu social system cannot automatically be transferred to another religion.
Supreme Court Upholds Madras High Court Order
A special bench comprising Justice P. K. Mishra and Justice Shree Chandrashekhar upheld the Madras High Court’s verdict in the matter. The Tamil Nadu government had challenged the High Court’s decision to quash its order allowing Hindu converts to Islam to avail reservation benefits under the Backward Class Muslims category.
Social Backwardness Cannot Be Transferred to Another Religion
The Supreme Court observed that caste-based backwardness in the Hindu social system is part of a specific social structure. According to the court, a person who converts to another religion cannot automatically claim reservation benefits based on their previous status in the Hindu social order.
The court said that social backwardness associated with a person’s earlier status cannot be transferred to a non-Hindu social system after conversion.
Tamil Nadu Government’s Order Covering Seven Muslim Communities
The Tamil Nadu government had issued an order recognising seven Muslim communities in the state as Backward Classes. The order also allowed people from other backward classes who converted to Islam to be included in the ‘Backward Class Muslims’ category and claim reservation benefits.
The Madras High Court quashed the order, prompting the Tamil Nadu government to challenge the decision in the Supreme Court.
Tamil Nadu Government’s Argument Rejected
The Tamil Nadu government argued that people who remained socially and educationally backward after religious conversion should continue to receive reservation benefits.
However, the Supreme Court upheld the Madras High Court’s decision, ruling that a person cannot claim reservation after conversion solely on the basis of belonging to a backward class or Scheduled Caste in the Hindu social system.
