SC Dismisses Pastor's Review Plea on SC Status
The court found no error apparent on the face of the record and held that there were no grounds to review its earlier judgment. Accordingly, the Supreme Court registry recently issued an order dismissing the review petition.
Vijayawada:Supreme Court has dismissed a review petition filed by Andhra Pradesh pastor Chinthada Ananda, refusing to revisit its earlier landmark judgment that persons who voluntarily convert to Christianity are not entitled to Scheduled Caste (SC) status under the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950.
The court found no error apparent on the face of the record and held that there were no grounds to review its earlier judgment. Accordingly, the Supreme Court registry recently issued an order dismissing the review petition.
Earlier, a two-judge Bench comprising Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice Manmohan had ruled that a person who openly professes Christianity ceases to be entitled to Scheduled Caste status and, consequently, cannot invoke the provisions available exclusively to Scheduled Castes under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The court observed that the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, restricts SC status to members of specified religions and that conversion to Christianity results in the loss of that status.
