“Opinion | Supreme Verdict: Why Abuse Of Scheduled Caste Benefits By Converts Must Be Curbed”, News 18, April 06, 2026
“The categorical Supreme Court verdict pronounced by the bench of Justices PK Mishra and Manmohan in the Chinthada Anand v. State of Andhra Pradesh case has unequivocally clarified the constitutional position vis-à-vis Scheduled Caste converts to Christianity and Islam and their eligibility to avail of statutory benefits from the government. More importantly, this judgment lays down a litmus test of criteria to determine a person’s true religion, which, if implemented, can curb fraudulent practices.
The current case stems from litigation filed by the appellant, Chinthada Anand, who claimed that he continued to belong to the Madiga community (a notified Scheduled Caste group) despite being a Christian pastor for more than 10 years; as a result, he sought punishment under the SC/ST Act for villagers who had hurled caste slurs against him.
Quoting the Constitution, the judges concluded: “No person who professes a religion other than Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist shall be deemed to be a member of a Scheduled Caste. This bar under Clause 3 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 is categorical and absolute. Conversion to any religion not specified in Clause 3 results in immediate and complete loss of Scheduled Caste status from the moment of conversion, regardless of birth…..”
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