The Supreme Court has clarified that only individuals belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, or Buddhist faiths are eligible to claim Scheduled Caste (SC) status. The Court stated that conversion to any other religion, including Christianity, results in the automatic loss of SC status.

Upholding a judgment of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, a bench comprising Justices P. K. Mishra and Manmohan ruled that a Dalit who converts to Christianity cannot be regarded as a member of a Scheduled Caste. Consequently, such individuals are not entitled to protections under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The Court cited the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, highlighting that Clause 3 of the Order explicitly restricts SC status to persons professing Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism. It emphasised that this restriction applies irrespective of an individual’s birth.