Court Orders Probe on the Caste Status of Christians

The Allahabad High Court in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) on Dec. 2 ordered the UP government to launch a statewide crackdown on individuals who convert to Christianity but continue to claim benefits reserved for Scheduled Castes.

The court described such practices as a “fraud on the Constitution,” emphasizing that Scheduled Caste status is inextricably linked to Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism under Indian law.

The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, issued by the president of India, explicitly states that no person professing a religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism can be deemed a member of a Scheduled Caste.

“This retention of SC status after conversion amounts to a fraud on the Constitution,” Justice Giri observed, citing the Constitutional order.

The ruling by the Allahabad HC based on this order reignites long-standing tensions surrounding the 1950 Order, which has been criticized for discriminating against Dalits (the scheduled caste people) who convert to Islam or Christianity by stripping them of affirmative action safeguards.

Advocacy groups, including those representing Christian communities, have maintained that the policy forces many Christian converts to nominally identify themselves as Hindus to retain benefits, perpetuating a cycle of hidden identities and social stigma.

Lawyers based in Lucknow, the capital of UP, hailed the decision as a clarion call for transparency but warned that it could exacerbate vulnerabilities for marginalized converts.

“This isn’t just about one affidavit — it’s a reminder that our reservation framework is tethered to religious identity in ways that demand urgent reform,” said a constitutional lawyer who wished to remain anonymous.

Scheduled Castes, along with Scheduled Tribes, are officially designated groups of people termed as the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India, and the groups are designated in one or other of the categories.

These groups are provided with reservations in government jobs and higher education to promote their progress.

In the Scheduled Caste category, also known as Dalits, people groups are divided by religion.

But in the constitutional order issued in 1950, any Scheduled Caste person who converts to Christianity or Islam loses their Scheduled Caste status and all benefits accrued with it. But this rule, strangely, does not apply to the Scheduled Tribe people.

Christian advocacy groups have filed several petitions in the Supreme Court of India challenging the 1950 Constitutional Order, stating that it is discriminatory toward only two minority religions, namely Christians and Muslims, while other minority religions like Sikhism and Buddhism maintain all benefits when they convert to any other religion.

But the Allahabad High Court said the law on caste status after religious conversion must be enforced “in reality and in the true sense.”

The directions were issued while the court dismissed a plea filed by Jitendra Sahani, a resident of Gorakhpur’s Maharajganj district, to quash the case against him for allegedly making derogatory statements about Hindu deities and promoting religious conversions during Christian prayer meetings.

Although the court refused to intervene in the criminal case, it used the occasion to address a larger issue relating to false caste claims by individuals after it was found that Sahani, a Christian, had declared himself a Hindu in his affidavit in the court.

This triggered the High Court to ask the District Magistrate of Maharajganj to take strict action against Sahani if he is found guilty of forgery by claiming to be Hindu in court documents while being a Christian priest.

It also directed the cabinet secretary of the government of India and the chief secretary of the government of Uttar Pradesh to investigate matters relating to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and other backward classes, as well as the provisions of law and acts in accordance with law, as mentioned above.

Similar directions were issued to the principal secretary or additional chief secretary of the Minorities Welfare Department for the government of Uttar Pradesh, and all district magistrates in the state, to investigate the matter and take appropriate action so that the law may be executed in its true sense.

Emphasizing that the Supreme Court identity is rooted in the historical experience of caste-based discrimination, which is not recognized in Christianity or several other religions, the bench observed that retaining Supreme Court status post-conversion distorts the constitutional scheme.