Supreme Court reserves verdict on Tamil Nadu Muslim reservation

The India — Supreme Court of India reserved its verdict on an appeal by the state of India — Tamil Nadu challenging a India — Madras High Court judgment. The High Court had declared unconstitutional a state government order (G.O. No. 31, dated March 9, 2024) that allowed persons converting to Islam from backward classes to retain reservation benefits under the Backward Class (Muslim) category. The case originated from a petition by Sameer Ahamed, who converted from Hinduism to Islam in 2015 and sought a 'Muslim Lebbai' community certificate. The High Court ruled that conversion alone does not entitle a person to specific backward class status. The state government argued that the order was based on the recommendation of the India — Tamil Nadu Backward Classes Commission and aimed to preserve affirmative action benefits for socially and educationally backward communities. The Supreme Court bench, comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Chandrashekhar Bawankule, heard arguments from senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Sidharth Luthra for the state and Gopal Sankaranarayanan for the respondent, and reserved its judgment.