State to move SC over quashing of GO on quota for converted Muslims

Chennai: Law Minister R Nirmal Kumar on Thursday announced that the state government will file a review petition in the Supreme Court challenging its verdict upholding the HC judgment quashing the 2024 government order on reservations for converted Muslims. Outlining the government’s stance and immediate next steps, the Minister said the Cabinet that met under the leadership of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, has officially decided to challenge the Apex Court’s ruling, stating, “Recently, the 2024 GO which has been published regarding the converted Muslims, was quashed by the court. We are going for a review petition,” he told reporters.

The Tamil Nadu government issued a GO in March 2024 allowing converts from Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes, De-notified Communities, and Scheduled Castes to obtain certificates under the state’s 3.5 per cent quota reserved for Backward Class Muslims. The Madras High Court struck down this order in June 2026, leading to the state’s appeal to the Supreme Court. The SC upheld the High Court’s ruling and dismissed the state’s appeal.

The court declared that entry into a notified Backward Class Muslim community is rooted in ancestry and traditional occupation, meaning an executive order cannot create an artificial route to transfer pre-conversion backwardness into a different notified religious community.

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