Chennai, June 27 -- A person who converts to Islam cannot claim the status of a Backward Class Muslim, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has ruled, striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that allowed converts to claim such a designation for reservation benefits.

A Division Bench of Justices GR Swaminathan and PB Balaji declared the government order (GO) unconstitutional while disposing of a petition filed by a man from Thoothukudi district who had converted from Hinduism to Islam and applied for a community certificate recognising him as "Muslim Lebbai." The Kayathar Tahsildar had rejected his application, prompting the legal challenge.

What the GO said

The 2024 government order had directed that a person converting ...