Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis declared that all Scheduled Caste (SC) certificates fraudulently obtained by individuals belonging to religions other than Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism will be cancelled. The announcement, made in the Legislative Council, follows a November 2024 Supreme Court verdict reaffirming that SC reservations are applicable only to Dalits professing Hinduism, Buddhism, or Sikhism, and not to converts to Christianity or Islam, who historically did not face caste-based untouchability in their religious frameworks.
CM Fadnavis went a step further, asserting that any person who fraudulently availed of SC-based reservations, gained government employment, or won elections by using an illegitimate SC certificate will face stringent legal action. The state will recover all monetary benefits, invalidate caste certificates, and annul electoral victories secured through such deceit.
CM Fadnavis invoked the Supreme Court’s November 26, 2024 verdict, which held that only Dalits belonging to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism qualify for SC reservation. The verdict essentially reaffirmed a long-standing constitutional framework first outlined in the Presidential Order of 1950 and clarified in various court judgments thereafter.
“If anyone from religions other than Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism has fraudulently obtained an SC certificate or availed benefits, we will initiate cancellation of their validity certificates. Government jobs gained through fraud will lead to dismissal. Elected representatives will have their victories nullified. We will even seek monetary recovery,” CM Fadnavis declared.
However, the CM Fadnavis clarified that not all institutions would be targeted. “There is no need to investigate or take action against all institutions in general in the case of conversion. Investigation cannot be done only because they belong to a specific religion; however, the institutions from which complaints are being received regarding conversion will be investigated, and certain action will be taken.”
CM Fadnavis also confirmed that the state has witnessed several instances of conversion “by fraud and pressure,” prompting the formation of a special committee headed by the DGP. He also stated that a committee has submitted a report to the state government with recommendations to make laws more stringent against such practices.
“The committee has studied it and sent the report to the state government. This report has been received by the state government recently. The state government will study it and make necessary changes in it,” he added.
This is the first time a state has announced large-scale retrospective cancellation and penal action against individuals who allegedly misused the caste reservation system after converting to Christianity or Islam — often by maintaining dual religious identities.
The issue was ignited during a heated debate following a Calling Attention Motion by BJP MLC Amit Gorkhe, who accused so-called “crypto Christians” of deceitfully claiming SC status while discreetly following Christianity. These individuals, he alleged, retained Hindu names and caste certificates on paper to continue availing reservation benefits meant exclusively for Dalits of Indic religions, while actively participating in Christian religious practices and community life.
“Freedom of religion is being misused. These are not real Dalits. They are crypto converts who have surrendered their caste identity the moment they converted. They should not be allowed to play both sides — convert for faith and still enjoy SC benefits meant for Dalits who have suffered historical untouchability,” Gorkhe said.
Sources in the Maharashtra Social Justice Department suggest that hundreds of such cases are under investigation, particularly in Nagpur, Sangli, Pune, Thane, and Vidarbha, where large-scale mass conversions often unregistered have occurred over decades, allegedly supported by foreign-funded NGOs and Church groups.
BJP MLA Chitra Wagh cited a chilling incident from Sangli, where a young Hindu woman from an SC background was allegedly tricked into marrying a man who had hidden his Christian identity. After marriage, she was allegedly coerced to convert, physically abused, and finally died under mysterious circumstances while seven months pregnant.
“She was mentally and physically tortured to give up her religion. Her in-laws hid their Christian identity. She died trying to resist forced conversion,” Wagh said, demanding immediate legislation to protect vulnerable SC women from such targeted “conversion rackets” disguised as marriages.
Responding to the debate, CM Fadnavis said the state is preparing to enact a powerful anti-conversion law, likely to be more stringent than existing legislations in states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka. The legislation is expected to be tabled in the Winter Session of the Maharashtra Legislature.
The government has already constituted a high-level panel headed by the Director General of Police (DGP) to study forced or fraudulent conversions. The panel has submitted its recommendations, which are currently under review. CM Fadnavis hinted that provisions from the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) — the new criminal code that replaced the Indian Penal Code — will be used to criminalise conversion by coercion, deceit, or allurement.
“Religious conversion through consent is permitted under the Constitution. But the use of force, fraud, or enticement is a criminal act. Action will be taken against individuals or organisations found guilty,” CM Fadnavis stated.
BJP leader Pravin Darekar raised concerns over covert Christian proselytisation campaigns allegedly targeting Dalit communities in slums and impoverished areas, often under the guise of social welfare, education, or medical aid. He accused NGOs of exploiting poverty to engineer religious conversions, while instructing converts to retain their Hindu caste identity on official documents to avail reservation benefits.
Fadnavis admitted that such activities are known to occur and pledged vigilant monitoring and investigation, but reiterated that voluntary religious conversion, if genuinely consensual, will not be banned.
The foundation of the Scheduled Caste reservation system was laid by the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, which restricted SC status only to Hindus, later extended to Sikhs (1956) and Buddhists (1990). The rationale was that untouchability the basis of SC classification was unique to the Hindu caste system, and not part of Islamic or Christian theology.
Subsequent Supreme Court verdicts, including the Soosai (1985) and State of Kerala vs. Chandramohanan (2004) judgments, reiterated that conversion to Christianity or Islam leads to loss of SC status, unless the person reconverts. Yet, in practice, thousands have exploited identity ambiguity, particularly where the state failed to verify conversions officially.
With this announcement, Maharashtra becomes the first major state to enforce the SC eligibility criterion retrospectively, with an official commitment to recover illegally availed quota benefits and take action under electoral and criminal laws.
The move is likely to trigger similar calls for action in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Punjab, where large-scale Christian conversions among SC communities have been documented, yet beneficiaries continue to claim SC entitlements.
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