Everest, Kathmandu, October 15- India’s Supreme Court has ruled that a person who converts from Hinduism to Islam cannot claim reservation benefits under the Backward Class (Muslim) category solely on the basis of their caste status before conversion.

The court upheld a Madras High Court ruling that struck down a Tamil Nadu government order allowing people from Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes, Denotified Communities and Scheduled Castes who converted to Islam to be classified as Backward Class Muslims for reservation purposes.

The case concerned the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to extend reservation benefits to certain individuals who converted to Islam. The Madras High Court had declared the government order invalid, and the Supreme Court dismissed the state government’s challenge to that decision.

The Supreme Court observed that social backwardness associated with a person’s previous position in the Hindu social order does not automatically transfer to another religious community following conversion. Accordingly, a person cannot claim affirmative action benefits under Article 16(4) of the Indian Constitution solely on the basis of their pre-conversion social status.

The ruling also concerns the constitutional framework governing Scheduled Caste status, which is restricted under the applicable constitutional order to members professing Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism. The court’s decision addresses the specific legal claims involved in the case and should not be interpreted as a blanket ruling on every category of reservation in India.

The judgment marks a significant legal development in India’s ongoing debate over the relationship between religious conversion, caste identity and affirmative action policies.