Hyderabad: The Allahabad High Court ruled that caste at birth does not change through marriage or religious conversion. The court delivered the key verdict while hearing a case involving an SC woman from West Bengal.
The woman alleged that some people abused her in the name of caste. However, the defendants argued that she was born in the SC caste but later married a man from the upper caste Jat community. Therefore, they claimed she could not be booked under the SC and ST Act.
Allahabad High Court Rejects Marriage Argument
The Allahabad High Court rejected the argument put forward by the defendants. The court clarified that marriage does not change a person’s caste. It also stated that religious conversion does not alter caste identity.
The defendants had contended that since the woman married a man from an upper caste, she should not be treated as belonging to the Scheduled Caste category for legal protection. However, the court did not accept this claim. Instead, it held that caste remains the same as determined by birth.
Court Clarifies SC and ST Act Applicability
The verdict has direct relevance to cases registered under the SC and ST Act. In this case, the accused had questioned the applicability of the Act by citing the woman’s marriage to a Jat man. However, the court made it clear that such a marriage does not affect her caste status.
The court also addressed the issue of religious conversion. It stated that conversion does not change a person’s caste. Therefore, legal safeguards available under the SC and ST Act continue to apply based on birth caste.
The ruling is significant as it settles the question raised by the defendants. The court reaffirmed that caste identity is determined by birth and remains unchanged despite marriage or conversion.
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