Can SC status be regained?

New Delhi:The Supreme Court on Tuesday held that a person who converts back to Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism after adopting another religion may claim Scheduled Caste (SC) status again (Chinthada Anand vs State of Andhra Pradesh & Ors).

A Bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan clarified that SC status is lost immediately when a person converts to a religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism. However, it said, such status may be claimed again if three mandatory conditions are satisfied.

The Court laid down three conditions that must be satisfied before a person can claim Scheduled Caste status after reconversion:

1. The person must prove that they were originally born into a caste listed as a Scheduled Caste.

2. They must show genuine reconversion to Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism and clear renunciation of the religion they had previously adopted.