Allahabad High Court Directs UP Government to Ensure Loss of SC Reservation Benefits After Conversion to Christianity

Prayagraj, 4 December, 2025 — Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to verify and enforce that individuals from Scheduled Caste (SC) communities who convert to Christianity automatically forfeit the reservation benefits attached to their SC status, issuing the order while hearing a petition related to alleged religious enmity.

Justice Praveen Kumar Giri, citing a Supreme Court ruling, held that claiming SC benefits after conversion would amount to “fraud on the Constitution” and contradict the principle on which reservation policies are founded. The court also referred to a previous judgment of the Andhra Pradesh High Court which stated that caste-based discrimination does not operate within Christianity, and therefore SC classification becomes invalid upon conversion regardless of earlier caste certificates.

The order came while hearing a petition filed by Jitendra Sahani, who had been booked for promoting enmity between religions and hurting religious sentiments. He sought quashing of the charges, stating that he had merely applied for permission to “preach the words of Jesus Christ on my land.”

According to The Times of India, the court noted discrepancies in Sahani’s submissions, observing that although he had converted to Christianity, he declared himself as “Hindu” in an affidavit in which he claimed SC status. A witness also alleged that Sahani criticised Hinduism over caste hierarchies and claimed that conversion to Christianity would offer “jobs, business growth and financial benefits from missionaries.”

The court’s directive places responsibility on the state government to conduct inquiries and ensure that SC-linked reservation privileges are revoked when a person embraces a religion in which caste-based classification is not recognised.

Source and Image Credits : The Wire