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Amendment to Constitution needed to provide reservation for converts: Anbumani Ramadoss
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News18•16-10-2026, 17:53
Amendment to Constitution needed to provide reservation for converts: Anbumani Ramadoss
- •PMK President Anbumani Ramadoss stated that the Supreme Court ruling denying reservation to converts undermines the foundations of social justice.
- •He emphasized that reservation in India is based on social backwardness due to caste, which remains unchanged even after religious conversion.
- •Noting that amendments were previously made for Sikh and Buddhist religions, he called for similar rights for those who converted to Christianity and other backward classes.
- •Anbumani urged the central government to amend the Constitution to protect the reservation rights of converted individuals and asked the Tamil Nadu government to exert pressure.
Key Questions Answered
The Supreme Court ruled that a person enjoying reservation for social backwardness in Hinduism cannot carry that backward status with them upon conversion, meaning their right to reservation ends with their original religion.
Reservation for Scheduled Castes who have converted is regulated under Article 342(1) of the Indian Constitution, as per the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order issued by the President in 1950.
PMK President Anbumani Ramadoss urged the central government to amend the Constitution so that reservation rights continue for converted categories, and called on the Tamil Nadu government to exert appropriate pressure for this purpose.
