The Tamil Nadu government has approached the Supreme Court to challenge a recent Madras High Court ruling that denied reservation benefits to individuals converting to Islam from Backward Classes (BC), Most Backward Classes (MBC), Denotified Communities (DNC), or Scheduled Castes (SC). The High Court had declared unconstitutional a Government Order (GO) issued on March 9, 2024, which permitted such converts to claim status under the Backward Class (Muslim) category.
The contentious case began when Sameer Ahamed, a Hindu convert to Islam in 2015, sought a community certificate identifying him as "Muslim Lebbai" to avail reservation benefits. His application was rejected by the tahsildar, leading him to approach the High Court. The court ruled that a person converting to Islam cannot claim the status of a Backward Class Muslim solely based on conversion, stating, "He is only a Muslim, and that’s all there is to it."
In response, the Tamil Nadu government filed an appeal in the Supreme Court, arguing that the High Court's decision overlooked the social and educational backwardness of the affected communities and the intent behind the 2024 Government Order. The state contends that the High Court's interpretation was inconsistent with existing legal frameworks governing reservations.
The Supreme Court's intervention is now awaited to resolve this legal impasse, which has significant implications for reservation policies and the rights of converts to Islam in Tamil Nadu.