Can a Dalit Christian claim Scheduled Caste status?: Supreme Court’s ruling invisibilises caste-oppression faced after conversion

ON MARCH 24, the Supreme Court of India held that a person who has converted to Christianity cannot be recognised as a member of a Scheduled Caste. Upholding a decision by the Andhra Pradesh High Court, a two-judge bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan clarified that Scheduled Caste status is legally contingent on professing Hinduism or any other religion explicitly recognised under the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 (‘1950 Order’) and statutory protections tied to Scheduled Caste status cannot survive a religious identity that the law does not recognise within that category.

The tale of an assault 

In December 2020, a Christian pastor Chinthada Anand, who belonged to the Madiga community, a Scheduled Caste, received abusive and threatening phone calls laced with caste-based slurs, allegedly in response to his religious activities and growing presence as a pastor.

On January 3, while leading a prayer gathering at a villager’s home, Anand was allegedly called outside by one of the accused, physically assaulted, abused by caste name, and warned against continuing such meetings. A few weeks later, Anand claimed that while returning home after prayers, he was stopped by a group that included the accused and several others, dragged, beaten, and publicly humiliated with caste-based abuse. He alleged that his belongings were snatched and the group passed threats of death and kidnapping against him and his family.

Following a complaint to Chandole police station, an FIR was filed under provisions of the The Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities Act), 1989, (‘SC/ST Act’) as well as charges of wrongful restraint, hurt, and criminal intimidation under the Indian Penal Code (‘IPC’). The accused, from the Reddy community, then moved to the Andhra Pradesh High Court seeking quashing of the proceedings, arguing that Anand could not legally claim the status of a Scheduled Caste under the Constitution Order, as he had converted to Christianity. 

Accepting this contention, the High Court quashed the case in April 2025, holding that a person who openly professes Christianity cannot invoke protections under the SC/ST Act. It also noted inconsistencies in witness testimonies and found that the evidence did not substantiate the claim of a large-scale assault, concluding that continuing the proceedings would amount to an abuse of process.

Challenging this decision, Anand approached the Supreme Court.

What did the parties argue in the Supreme Court? 

The appellant challenged the High Court’s approach to caste identity on both legal and sociological grounds. He contended that caste is determined by birth and continues to shape social realities regardless of an individual’s religious affiliation. Conversion to Christianity, therefore, does not erase the stigma, discrimination, or structural disadvantages historically attached to a Scheduled Caste identity. Denying protection under the SC/ST Act on the basis of conversion alone, thus, ignores the persistence of caste in Indian society.