After receiving several complaints from different states against the alleged misuse of reservation benefits by certain individuals posing as Scheduled Castes, the NCSC is writing to state governments to conduct a detailed investigation in all government departments and educational institutions and check caste certificates. The exercise comes close to a recent directive of the Allahabad High Court to the Uttar Pradesh government to crack down on people who have converted to Christianity but continue to avail benefits meant for SCs. The commission has also received complaints that have pointed out to certain individuals who have converted to Hinduism only to avail reservation benefits. The Constitution (Scheduled Caste) Order, 1950, which is a presidential order under Article 341 of the Constitution and has been amended, forms the basis of caste-based reservations. It spells out different castes and groups that are classified as SCs and says, “No person who professes a religion different from Hinduism, Sikhism or Budhhism” shall be deemed to be a member of Scheduled Caste. This makes any person who has converted to Christianity ineligible for caste-based reservation.
Speaking to ET, NCSC chairman Kishor Makwana said, “After receiving several complaints from different states, we are in the process of writing to state governments to check records and closely examine if those who have converted are availing reservation benefits in government jobs. In the long run, the commission wants to work out a periodic reporting system which will enable states to conduct this exercise in a regular manner and report its data to the commission. This will help in checking any wrongdoing.”
In 2024, the Supreme Court had upheld a Madras High Court order denying Scheduled Caste certificate to a Christian woman, who had claimed to be a Hindu while applying for an upper division clerk government job in Puducherry. The Supreme Court had observed that religious conversion solely undertaken to get reservation benefits without actual beliefs amounted to a “fraud on the Constitution.” The NCSC is also flagging the recent Allahabad High Court judgement to states and conveying that the practice of misusing caste certificates has become rampant and needed thorough examination. “We are emphasising this during our reviews at the state level,” said Makwana.