Does caste disappear after conversion? Supreme Court ruling sparks debate

The Supreme Court’s recent decision to uphold an Andhra Pradesh High Court order, reaffirming that Scheduled Caste (SC) status is limited to Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists, and does not extend to those who convert to other faiths such as Islam or Christianity, has once again brought into focus a long-standing contradiction in India’s social and legal framework: caste does not disappear after religious conversion, but legal protections often do.

The court, while hearing a case involving a Christian convert under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, reiterated that a person loses Scheduled Caste status upon converting from Hinduism. This interpretation follows the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order of 1950, which restricts SC status to Hindus, later extended to Sikhs in 1956 and Buddhists in 1990.

The judgment has revived a fundamental question: if caste-based discrimination persists across religions, why does the law recognise it selectively?

Legal framework and its limits

The court’s reasoning rests strictly on the 1950 Presidential Order, which states that no person professing a religion other than Hinduism shall be deemed a member of a Scheduled Caste.

However, on the same day, the court made a contrasting observation regarding Scheduled Tribes. It ruled that tribal individuals who convert to Christianity or Islam do not automatically lose their ST status.

Instead, the court said their status depends on whether they continue to follow tribal customs and remain part of their community.

This distinction raises a critical question—why is lived reality considered for tribal converts but not for Dalit converts?

Persistence of caste beyond religion

The assumption that caste disappears after conversion is not supported by data or lived experiences.

Dalit rights activist Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd explains: “Those religions do not accept caste discrimination as part of their divine structure. But the impact of Hinduism over centuries has created caste systems within these religions.”

For centuries, millions of Dalits have converted to Christianity and Islam seeking equality. However, social hierarchies often persist.

Studies indicate that caste identities continue even generations after conversion. A 2014 survey found that one in four Indians still practised untouchability despite its constitutional ban.

In South India, caste distinctions among Christians remain visible, with communities identifying as Nadars, Mudaliars, Yadavas, Reddys, Kammas, and Brahmins. Dalit Christians often continue to occupy the lowest position within this hierarchy.

Caste divisions within Christianity

Instances from Tamil Nadu highlight these divisions. In Tatchur village in Kanchipuram, a church remained shut for nearly a decade due to caste conflict between Dalits and so-called upper-caste Christians. Even after reopening, tensions persisted. In 2011, the burial of Dalits in a church cemetery triggered violence, requiring police intervention.

Dalit Christian writer Bama documented similar discrimination in her book Karukku, highlighting how Dalits were denied leadership roles and participation in church activities despite forming a large section of the community.

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court also took note, issuing notices over representation of Dalits in church administration. Even Pope John Paul II had called for reform of practices reinforcing caste divisions.

Caste-like hierarchies among Muslims

Caste divisions are also evident among Indian Muslims, despite Islamic teachings emphasising equality.

Muslim communities are broadly stratified into Ashrafs (considered noble), Ajlafs (backward groups), and Arzals (Dalit converts).

Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd notes that social and economic inequalities remain deeply entrenched among these groups, especially among those at the bottom of the hierarchy.

Historical data reflects this divide. The 1901 Census recorded over 130 Muslim social groups, while the 1911 Census listed over 100 caste groups among Muslims in Uttar Pradesh alone.

Representation data further highlights disparities, with a disproportionate number of Muslim political representatives coming from Ashraf backgrounds.

What the data shows

“This proves that caste does not disappear with conversion. It just wears different clothes,” says Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd.

A 2021 IndiaSpend study found no significant difference in poverty or landlessness between Dalit Hindus and Dalit Christians. Similarly, sociologist Satish Deshpande found that Dalit Muslims and Christians continued to face caste-based discrimination in his 2011 report for the National Commission for Minorities.

Dalit scholar Suraj Milind Yengde adds: “The social experiences of exclusion and marginalisation continue… there is a kind of double marginalisation that happens.”

Government reports reinforce this view. The Sachar Committee (2006) concluded that conversion had not improved socio-economic conditions for these groups.

The Ranganath Misra Commission (2007) recommended removing the religious restriction and extending SC status to all Dalits, irrespective of faith. However, this recommendation has not been implemented.

Where the law falls short

Despite consistent evidence, the legal framework remains unchanged.

Dalit Muslims and Christians are currently classified under Other Backward Classes (OBC), which limits access to certain protections, including reservation in legislatures and safeguards under the SC/ST Atrocities Act.

The Supreme Court’s recent ruling effectively upholds a decades-old framework based on the assumption that caste-based untouchability exists only within Hinduism.

But as evidence across studies, history, and lived experiences suggests, that assumption does not hold.

“You can change your religion. You cannot change your caste.”

That remains the central contradiction—one that Indian law is yet to fully address.

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