Tamil Nadu govt. defends State’s power to provide quota to Muslim converts from backward classes, SC to decide
The Supreme Court of India is set to rule on the Tamil Nadu government's appeal regarding the provision of reservation benefits to Muslim converts from backward classes. The case challenges a Madras High Court decision that deemed such reservations unconstitutional.
Why it matters
The ruling will clarify the legal standing of affirmative action for religious converts in India, impacting state-level social policy.
The Supreme Court on Friday (August 7, 2026) agreed to pronounce judgment on a Tamil Nadu government appeal seeking confirmation of the State’s power to frame and implement policy to provide reservation benefits to members of backward classes, most backward classes, denotified communities and Scheduled Castes who convert to Islam.
A Bench headed by Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra reserved orders on the State government’s stand that it has the authority, based on the Tamil Nadu Backward Classes Commission, to issue “backward classes (Muslim) community certificates to eligible persons who had embraced Islam among the backward classes, most backward classes, denotified communities and Scheduled Castes”.
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