Stories
CPIM Demands Constitution Amendment to Extend Reservation to Converts
- •The CPI(M) expressed serious concern over a Supreme Court judgment denying backward class reservation benefits to people converting from Hinduism to other religions.
- •The party demanded a Constitution amendment to ensure reservation benefits are provided irrespective of religious affiliation.
- •The Politburo stated that religious conversion does not automatically eliminate caste-based discrimination or associated social and economic disadvantages.
- •The CPI(M) called for the removal of the judicially imposed 50 percent ceiling on reservations without harming existing entitlements.
Key Questions Answered
The CPI(M) expressed serious concern and called for a Constitution amendment following a Supreme Court judgment that denied backward class reservation benefits to individuals converting from Hinduism to other religions. The party viewed this ruling, alongside an earlier judgment denying Scheduled Caste reservations to converts, as a setback to social justice and the constitutional ideal of equality.
The CPI(M) called for constitutional measures to remove the judicially imposed 50 percent ceiling on reservations. The party emphasized that expanding reservation benefits to converts should not compromise or come at the expense of existing entitlements for Other Backward Classes and Scheduled Castes.
The CPI(M) stated that religious conversion does not automatically eliminate caste-based discrimination or the associated social and economic disadvantages. The party argued that social justice should depend on the realities of historical oppression and educational inequalities rather than religious identity.
