A Convert to Islam Cannot Claim the Status of Backward Class Muslim, Rules Madras High Court
The bench said a government order cannot override precedent or create caste status after conversion, rejecting the state’s reservation-based classification.
- On Thursday, the Madras High Court struck down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that allowed converts to Islam from Backward Classes and Scheduled Castes to claim Backward Class Muslim reservation status.
- The ruling followed a plea by a 33-year-old Thoothukudi man who converted to Islam in 2015 and sought a community certificate identifying him as 'Muslim Lebbai' after officials rejected his application.
- Justices G.R. Swaminathan and P.B. Balaji cited a precedent from 'more than 75 years ago,' ruling that converts become 'just another Mussalman' rather than belonging to specific caste-based sects.
- Declaring the government order unconstitutional, the court held that converts cannot claim Backward Class Muslim status merely by embracing the religion, as social hierarchy is not recognized within the Islamic community.
- The court emphasized that the state government cannot undermine previous rulings or Supreme Court precedents, as reservation policies must align with the constitutional mandate rather than creating arbitrary classifications.
13 Articles
13 Articles
On converting to Islam, one is no longer Backward Class: Madras HC
Chennai: A person who converts to Islam cannot claim the status of a Backward Class Muslim, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has ruled, striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that allowed converts to claim such a designation for reservation benefits. A Division Bench of Justices GR Swaminathan and PB Balaji declared the government order (GO) unconstitutional while disposing of a petition filed by a man from Thoothukudi distri…
'Unconstitutional, Un-Islamic': Madras High Court Says Islam Converts Can't Claim BC Muslim Status
The bench observed that Islamic preachers and Christian missionaries had underlined that their faiths offered social equality in contrast to Hinduism's caste structure, which made it contradictory to assert a hierarchy within Islam.
A convert to Islam cannot claim the status of Backward Class Muslim, rules Madras High Court
Categorising certain sects as Backward and the remaining as Forward is antithetical to Quranic injunctions. Islam seeks to establish an egalitarian society, says Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court
Scheduled Caste or Backward Class Hindu cannot claim reservation after embracing Islam: Madras HC
Striking down a state order that says converts must be treated as Backward Class Muslims, court reiterates 1952 ruling that says a Hindu ceases to be member of any caste on converting.
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