Breaking Supreme Court Legal Update
New Delhi · Friday, 31 July 2026 9888666310 | [email protected]
Free Law — free judgments and free headnotes Free Lawby De Jure
Supreme Court of India 2024-11-26 dismissed

C. SELVARANI vs THE SPECIAL SECRETARY- CUMDISTRICT COLLECTOR AND OTHERS

Bench: 2 — Pankaj Mithal, R. Mahadevan

In Brief

The appellant, born to parents who married under Christian rites and baptized as an infant, sought an SC (Scheduled Caste) certificate claiming Hindu religion and Valluvan caste for employment benefits. Evidence—including church baptism records, regular church attendance, and parents' Christian marriage registration—established she actively practices Christianity. The Court held that SC certificates are available only to those professing Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism. Upon conversion to Christianity, a person loses caste status. Claiming SC status while professing Christianity constitutes fraud on the Constitution and defeats reservation's social purpose. The appeal was dismissed; no SC certificate could be issued.

The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.

Constitutional Law Scheduled Castes Religious Conversion Reservation Policy Administrative Law

Read the full judgment & headnote. It's free.

Register to read the complete Supreme Court judgment text and the headnote, and to search 1 lakh+ Supreme Court judgments by meaning. It is a free service.

Register Free Login