அன்னிய மதம் மதம் மாறியவர்கள் இட ஒதுக்கீட்டிற்காக அராஜகமாக இட ஒதுக்கீடு பெறுவது அம்பேத்கர் சட்ட மோசடி- ஹைகோர்ட்

 அன்னிய மதம் மதம் மாறியவர்கள் இட ஒதுக்கீட்டிற்காக அராஜகமாக இட ஒதுக்கீடு பெறுவது அம்பேத்கர் சட்ட மோசடி- ஹைகோர்ட்

தூத்துக்குடியை சேர்ந்த ஹிந்து இளைஞர், முஸ்லிமாக மாறி 2016-ல் முஸ்லீம் பெண்ணை திருமணம் செய்தார். BC சான்றிதழ் கோரிய அவரது விண்ணப்பம் நிராகரிக்கப்பட்டது. அவர் நீதிமன்றம் சென்றார். இதற்கிடையே BC, MBC, SC பிரிவை சேர்ந்தவர்கள் முஸ்லிமாக மாறினால், முஸ்லீம் (BC) வழங்கலாம் என 2024-ல் தமிழக அரசு ஆணை பிறப்பித்தது. இந்த அரசாணையை மனுதாரர் சுட்டிக்காட்டினார். இந்த அரசாணை அரசியல் சாசனத்திற்கு முரணானது என்று சென்னை உயர்நீதிமன்றம் தீர்ப்பளித்து அவரது மனுவை தள்ளுபடி செய்தது.

When a Hindu embraces Islam, he/she will just become a Musalman. It would be ridiculous to suggest that such converts can choose to become a part of any of the seven categories (Ansar, Dekkani Muslims.Dubekula, Labbais including Rowthar and Marakayar.

https://x.com/imranhindu/status/2070157277664088193

Mapilla, Sheik or Syed) of Backward Class Muslims eligible for reservation, rule Justices G.R. Swaminathan and P.B. Balaji of #MadrasHighCourt They write: "The Christian missionaries as well as Islamic preachers harangued through decades and centuries that their religions offer social equality unlike Hinduism which has caste as its inherent feature.

Having taken such a stand for effecting conversions, it is disingenuous to claim that there is hierarchy in Islam also. In our respectful view, categorising certain sects as Backward and the remaining as Forward is antithetical to Quranic injunctions. Islam seeks to establish an egalitarian society. Everyone is equal in the eyes of God. There is no social hierarchy."

The Madras High Court has delivered a definitive judgment regarding the issuance of Backward Class Muslim (BCM) certificates, specifically addressing whether individuals who convert to Islam can claim this reservation status.

On **June 25, 2026**, a Division Bench comprising Justice G.R. Swaminathan and Justice P.B. Balaji delivered a landmark ruling in the case of ***Sameer Ahamed N. v. The District Collector, Thoothukudi*** *(WP(MD) No. 7127 of 2022)*.

The court **struck down the Tamil Nadu Government Order (G.O. Ms. No. 31, dated March 9, 2024)**, which had allowed converts from Backward Classes (BC), Most Backward Classes (MBC), Denotified Communities (DNC), and Scheduled Castes (SC) to be issued community certificates under one of the state's seven notified Backward Class Muslim sects.

## Key Takeaways from the Judgement

### 1. No "BC Muslim" Status Upon Conversion

The High Court held that a person who converts to Islam cannot claim the status of a Backward Class Muslim for reservation benefits. The Bench explicitly stated:

> *"A convert to Islam cannot claim the status of Backward Class Muslim. He is only a Muslim and that's all there is to it."*

> 

### 2. Social Stratification is Birth-Based, Not Acquired

The court pointed out that the seven notified Muslim communities eligible for BCM reservation in Tamil Nadu (such as Labbai, Rowther, Marakkayar, or Deccani Muslim) are social groups determined solely by **birth**. They are not theological sects that a person can choose to "convert" into. The Bench noted it is *"ridiculous to suggest that one can be converted into a Rowther Muslim."*

### 3. Executive Orders Cannot Override Judicial Precedent

The Tamil Nadu government argued that the 2024 G.O. was intended to protect the existing reservation benefits of individuals who already belonged to a reserved category before converting. However, the court rejected this, pointing back to a 75-year-old settled legal precedent (*G. Michael v. S. Venkateswaran, 1951*), which established that a convert to Islam becomes "just a Mussalman" whose place in society is no longer tied to their past caste. The bench ruled that the executive cannot use a Government Order to bypass binding judicial decisions.

### 4. Theological and Constitutional Conflict

The court observed that classifying converts into specific forward or backward slots within Islam is fundamentally "un-Islamic" and contradicts the egalitarian core of the religion, which rejects social hierarchies. Furthermore, it deemed the G.O. arbitrary for clubbing converts from entirely different categories (like SC and MBC) into a single BCM slot without constitutional justification.

## What This Means for Community Certificates

 * **Born Muslims** belonging to the seven notified backward sects (Ansar, Dekkani Muslims, Dubekula, Labbais/Rowther/Marakayar, Mapilla, Sheik, and Syed) **continue to remain fully eligible** for the 3.5% BCM reservation in Tamil Nadu.

 * **Converts to Islam** will be classified under the **"Others Category" (Open Competition / General Category)** for government recruitments (like TNPSC) and educational admissions, regardless of what their caste category was before converting. Revenue authorities cannot issue them a BCM certificate.