In Brief
Chinthada Anand, a Scheduled Caste member who converted to Christianity and worked as a pastor, alleged caste-based assault and intimidation by others. He filed a complaint triggering criminal proceedings under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The High Court quashed proceedings, holding his conversion to Christianity disqualified him from SC protections. The Supreme Court upheld this decision, clarifying that Clause 3 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 categorically excludes persons professing religions other than Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism from SC status. Only those meeting constitutional SC/ST definitions can invoke statutory protections under the Act.
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