New Delhi: The Tamil Nadu government has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court seeking reconsideration of the ruling that caste certificates should not be issued to those who convert to Islam as “Backward Muslim.”
Paramasivam, from South Ilanthakulam in Thoothukudi district, converted from Hinduism to Islam in 2015. He changed his name to Sameer Ahmed. Later, he applied for a certificate under the Muslim Lebbai community category. After his application was rejected, he filed a case in the Madurai Bench of the High Court.
The Madurai Bench of the High Court, which heard this case, ruled that a person who has converted from Hinduism to Islam cannot claim a backward Muslim certificate on the basis of their former social identity.
The Tamil Nadu government appealed this ruling in the Supreme Court. A bench comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Chandrasekhar, which heard the case, ruled that “persons who have converted from Hinduism to non-Hindu religions, including Islam, cannot claim reservation for backward class status under Article 16(4) of the Constitution on the basis of their former social identity.”
The Tamil Nadu government has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court seeking a reconsideration of this verdict. It states, “While the Supreme Court’s Constitution Bench is hearing a case related to such issues across the country, it was wrong for the court to deliver a verdict in the Tamil Nadu matter before that was concluded.” The case is expected to come up for hearing soon.
