The Tamil Nadu government has approached the Supreme Court to challenge a Madras High Court ruling that struck down a policy allowing individuals who convert to Islam to claim reservation benefits under the Backward Class (Muslim) category.
Challenge To Policy Invalidation
The appeal, filed by the secretary to the state government, seeks to overturn a decision by a division bench of the Madras High Court. The high court had declared unconstitutional a Government Order issued on March 9, 2024, which permitted converts to Islam to access reservation benefits.
Under the contested government order, individuals from Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes, Denotified Communities, or Scheduled Castes who converted to Islam could be classified under one of seven notified Muslim communities. This classification enabled them to obtain community certificates as Backward Class (Muslim) candidates for quota benefits.
Judicial Precedents And Conversion
High Court Justices GR Swaminathan and PB Balaji invalidated the state order, ruling that it conflicted with binding precedents established by both the Supreme Court and the Madras High Court.
The bench determined that while a person converting to Islam is recognized as a Muslim, the act of conversion alone does not qualify them to join a specific notified Backward Class Muslim community for reservation purposes.
Origin Of The Dispute
The legal battle began with a petition filed by Sameer Ahamed, who converted from Hinduism to Islam in 2015, with his conversion officially notified in a 2016 Gazette. Following his marriage under Islamic rites, Ahamed applied for a community certificate identifying him as a member of the “Muslim Lebbai” community to secure reservation benefits.
After a local tahsildar rejected his application, Ahamed petitioned the high court, leading to the division bench’s ruling that struck down the broader state policy.
