Conversion to Christianity: Madras HC directs authorities to disqualify chairperson of town panchayat

CHENNAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed the Kanniyakumari district revenue authorities to disqualify V Amutha Rani from the post of the chairperson of Theroor town panchayat in Agasteeswaram taluk. She had been elected in a post reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC).

Though Amutha originally belonged to a Scheduled Caste, later she converted to Christianity while marrying V Vincent in 2005, according to the documents submitted to the court.

Amudha contested as AIADMK party candidate from Ward 2, which was reserved for women (general) and won. Challenging her appointment as the chairperson in March 2022, which was reserved for SC (general), V Iyyappan, a DMK candidate who was elected as member from Ward 8 moved the HC contending, “It’s a settled position of law that once a person converts to any religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism, she cannot claim the benefits of reservation given for the Scheduled Caste community.”

After perusing the submissions, Justice L Victoria Gowri held that Amutha’s nomination should not have been accepted by the returning officer and censured the election officers for being sheer pawns during local body elections.

“Having voluntarily embraced Christianity, she cannot blow hot and cold, claiming to be a SC for the purpose of ‘public employment’. She cannot identify herself a ‘Hindu’ after solemnisation of marriage under the Indian Christian Marriage Act,” stated the judge, and directed the authorities to declare Amutha Rani as disqualified from the post of chairperson of the town panchayat.