What happened: Supreme Court reserved decision on Tamil Nadu’s reservation eligibility for converted Muslims
The Supreme Court reserved its decision on a Tamil Nadu government appeal challenging a Madras High Court ruling. The appeal concerns a Tamil Nadu order dated March 9, 2024. The Tamil Nadu order enabled the issuance of “backward classes (Muslim) community certificates” to eligible persons who have converted to Islam. The Tamil Nadu government argued that the policy prevents denial of reservation benefits solely due to change of religion.
Background and earlier position: Madras High Court rejected “backward class (Muslim)” eligibility after embracing Islam
The Madras High Court held that a person who embraces Islam cannot be treated as a “backward class (Muslim)” for the purposes relevant to the challenged arrangement. In Supreme Court proceedings, the court referred to a prior Madras High Court decision that addressed religious conversion and Scheduled Caste eligibility.
Supreme Court oral reference: G. Michael v. S. Venkateswaran (1951) and Paragraph 3 of the 1950 Scheduled Castes (Constitutional) Order
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