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Madras High Court on BC (Muslim) Status for Converts
June 29 , 2026
13 hrs 0 min
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- The Madras High Court has ruled that a person who converts to Islam cannot claim Backwards Class (Muslim) status and declared the Tamil Nadu Government's 2024 Government Order (G.O.) unconstitutional.
- The court held that a person who converts to Islam becomes only a Muslim and cannot claim membership in a Muslim community or sect based on birth.
- It struck down the 2024 Government Order (G.O.), which allowed certain converts to receive Backwards Class (Muslim) reservation benefits.
- The GO ordered that a convert to Islam from Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes, Denotified Communities or Scheduled Castes may be treated as BC (Muslim) for availing the benefit of reservation and on such conversion, (s)he may be issued with community certificate as belonging to one of the notified seven sects.
- However, the State said, a convert from a forward community to Islam would not get the BC (Muslim) tag.
- Only those who already enjoyed the benefit of reservation in their original religion would not lose it on account of conversion to Islam.
- Hence, Social balance will not be affected by this.
- The judgment stated that recognised Muslim communities such as Lebbai, Rowther, and Marakkayar are birth-based communities and cannot be acquired through conversion.
- The court said a Government Order cannot override or nullify earlier court judgments.
- The doctrine of separation of powers is an entrenched principle in the Constitution and that it is an essential constituent of rule of law.
- This principle applies to the final judgments of the courts.
- The legislature cannot declare any decision of a court of law to be void or of no effect.
- The ruling was delivered while hearing a petition seeking a Muslim Lebbai community certificate after conversion to Islam.
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