In a major and final administrative action following prolonged legal scrutiny, Bapatla District Collector Dr. Vinod Kumar V has officially cancelled the Scheduled Caste (SC) certificates issued to church pastor Chintada Anand of Kothapalem village in Pittalavanipalem mandal, following recommendations made by the District Level Scrutiny Committee (DLSC). The cancellation order by the Andhra Pradesh Government was published through an Extraordinary Gazette Notification dated 23 May 2026.
According to the notification issued under the provisions of the Andhra Pradesh (Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes) Regulation of Issue of Community Certificates Act, 1993, and relevant Social Welfare Department rules and G.O.Ms.No.58, three caste certificates issued in favour of Chintada Anand between 2021 and 2025 have been cancelled with immediate effect.
The cancelled certificates include a manual SC certificate issued on 15 March 2021 and two integrated caste certificates issued on 22 October 2022 and 28 February 2025 by the Tahsildar of Pittalavanipalem Mandal.
The Gazette notification stated that the cancellation order comes into force immediately. However, Pastor Anand has been given an opportunity to file an appeal before the Department of Social Welfare within 30 days.
Earlier, the Andhra Pradesh High Court ruled that Chintada Anand’s caste certificate held no validity under the SC/ST Act once he had embraced Christianity.
On 24 March this year, the Supreme Court clarified that a person who converts from Hinduism to another religion, such as Christianity, cannot retain Scheduled Caste (SC) status or seek protection under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The ruling reiterated that SC status is legally linked to specific religions — Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism — and is not applicable beyond them.
Based on this judgement, Akkala Ramireddy of Kothapalem had requested the district authorities to initiate proceedings for the cancellation of Anand’s SC certificate. Following a detailed inquiry and scrutiny by the district authorities, the District Level Scrutiny Committee reportedly recommended cancellation of the SC status.
Background of the case:
On 26 August 2025, the Supreme Court of India upheld the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s ruling quashing an SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act case filed by Chintada Anand, a Christian pastor from Guntur district. The apex court also dismissed petitions filed by pastors challenging the High Court’s order.
The case dates back to 30 April 2024, when the Andhra Pradesh High Court set aside proceedings in Spl. SC No. 36 of 2021 arising from a complaint by Pastor Chintada Anand Paul. The High Court quashed the case under the SC/ST Act and related IPC sections, observing that the complainant, being a Christian pastor, could not invoke Scheduled Caste protections as per the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, which extends only to Hindus.
The petitioner, Akkala Ramireddy, argued that the complainant’s role as a pastor and Treasurer of the Pastors Fellowship established his Christian faith, thereby disqualifying him from SC/ST Act benefits. The petitioner relied on earlier precedents, including Chinni Appa Rao vs. State of A.P. (2016), which bars Christian converts from invoking the Act.
Delay in Cancellation:
Speaking to Organiser, AS Santosh, Secretary of the Legal Rights Protection Forum, said, “We welcome the decision, but it has come after considerable delay, even after the Supreme Court upheld the Andhra Pradesh High Court verdict in this case. Despite the orders of the highest judiciary, the district administration did not act. It also appears that certificates continued to be issued while the matter was still under judicial consideration in January 2021, October 2022 and February 2025. Now, it seems the authorities have acted out of compulsion, either to avoid legal consequences or due to fears of possible contempt of court. Continued judicial scrutiny appears to have pushed the district authorities to complete the process and issue the final cancellation notification.”
