Madras HC: Scheduled Caste convert to Hinduism eligible for reservation

The Madras High Court has held that Scheduled Caste people who had originally converted to Christianity from Hinduism and subsequently reconverted to Hinduism are eligible to avail of the benefits given to the Scheduled Caste people, by way of reservation in employment opportunity, provided the community accepts such re-conversion.

Justice R Suresh Kumar made this observation while disposing a plea which had challenged the merit list issued by the Teachers Recruitment Board, in 2004 which failed to consider the community status of an SC person who had converted from Christianity to Hinduism.

He said, “From the reading of a Government Order, it becomes clear that the Government decided to extend the benefit to be given to the Scheduled Caste people by way of reservation in employment opportunity, to those, who had converted from Christianity to Hinduism or those, who converted originally from Hinduism to Christianity and subsequently reconverted to Hinduism, provided, if the community accepts such conversion/re-conversion.”

He also recorded that though the petitioner originally belongs to the Christian (Scheduled Caste) community, subsequently, she voluntarily wanted to embrace Hinduism and convert herself as a Hindu. In this regard, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), had performed the necessary pooja called ‘Suthi Satangu’ on November 1, 1998 and thereby, the name of the petitioner, which was originally ‘Daisy Flora’ has been changed to ‘A. Megalai’. On completion of the pooja, it was declared that the petitioner had converted from Christianity to Hinduism.

“With that being the position, and people who are residing in the locality had also given a statement before the Revenue Officials that the petitioner on conversion had been continuously following the Hindu customs and she belongs to Hindu community, there can be no doubt that, such claim made by the petitioner for being a Hindu Adi Dravidar community, can very well be accepted”, Justice Suresh Kumar added.