Tamil Nadu moves Supreme Court against Madras HC verdict on reservation for converts to Islam

The Tamil Nadu government has approached the Supreme Court challenging the Madras High Court's recent judgment that struck down a 2024 Government Order allowing individuals from certain reserved communities who converted to Islam to continue availing reservation benefits under the Backward Class Muslim (BCM) category.

In its appeal, the state has argued that the High Court erred in quashing the government order, which had extended BCM reservation benefits to converts from Backward Classes (BC), Most Backward Classes (MBC), Denotified Communities (DNC), and Scheduled Castes (SC) who embraced Islam. The government has sought the Supreme Court's intervention to restore the policy.

The Madras High Court had ruled that conversion to Islam alone does not automatically entitle a person to reservation under the Backward Class Muslim category. The court held that the 2024 Government Order was inconsistent with the existing legal framework governing reservations and therefore could not be sustained.

The state's appeal contends that the High Court's interpretation overlooks the social and educational backwardness of the affected communities and the objective behind the government's policy. Tamil Nadu has urged the apex court to set aside the High Court verdict and uphold the validity of the 2024 Government Order.

The case is expected to have significant implications for reservation policy in Tamil Nadu, particularly for members of reserved communities who convert to Islam while seeking continued access to affirmative action benefits in education and public employment.