The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) opposes giving Scheduled Caste (SC) status to Dalits who have converted to Islam or Christianity, according to the commission’s chairman, Kishor Makwana. 

Speaking with a newspaper, Makwana said that anyone who practices a religion other than Buddhism, Sikhism, or Hinduism cannot be classified as a member of the Scheduled Castes, as stipulated by Article 341 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950. According to a 1950 presidential order, only Dalits who belong to the Buddhist, Sikh, or Hindu communities are eligible to be on the SC list. 

The head of the panel made this claim one day after the Centre gave the Commission of Inquiry a one-year extension to review whether all Dalit converts could be granted SC status. The commission was established in October 2022 under the leadership of former Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan to examine all aspects of granting SC status to "new persons, who claim to historically have belonged to SCs but have converted to religion other than those mentioned in the presidential orders issued from time to time under Article 341 of the Constitution."

The NCSC was required to submit the report by October 10 this year. According to officials, the commission has been interacting with stakeholders, such as sociologists, historians, and representatives of impacted communities, in order to gain a deeper understanding of the subtleties of caste identity in relation to religious conversion. Makwana, however, asserted that the reservation system is caste-based and stems from the untouchability that backward castes experience. “The converted people are no longer Hindus, then according to the interpretation given in the Constitution, the question of their being a Scheduled Caste ends,” he said.

According to Makwana, it goes against the fundamental spirit of the Constitution. “Giving the SC tag to Dalit converts will also promote conversion. According to him, the Pune agreement, which was crafted in the best interests of the SC community through the tireless efforts of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, will also be worthless if the converts are granted SC status. It will be a great injustice to the people of the SC community,” he added. “This will be a betrayal of Ambedkar and the entire SC community,” he said.

The ruling BJP has opposed granting Scheduled Caste (SC) status to Dalit people who convert to Islam or Christianity. Meanwhile, many Dalit groups have been pushing for this status to be extended to these converts. Activists point out that although previous governments set up committees to look into this issue, no steps have been taken to make it happen.