Chennai: The Madras High Court in an order said conversions do not change the caste of a human being. Based on this, inter-caste certificates cannot be given. Justice SM Subramanian passed the order rejecting a petition filed by a person belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC). In fact, A. Paul Raj, a resident of the Salem district of Tamil Nadu, comes from the Adi Dravidian community (Scheduled Castes) since birth. He later converted and became a Christian.
Subsequently, under an old order of the State Social Welfare Department, he also got a backward class certificate. He later married a woman from the Arunthatiyar community. Women also belong to the Scheduled Castes category. Based on this, A. Paul Raj applied for an inter-caste marriage certificate in the Salem district administration, which was rejected. The verdict was challenged in the Madras High Court. The high court found that both the husband and wife belonged to the Scheduled Castes since birth. The court said that conversion does not change caste, so Raj may have been given a backward class certificate but his caste has not changed. In such a situation, he cannot be given a certificate of inter-caste marriage.
Having an inter-caste marriage certificate gives priority in government jobs. Government welfare schemes benefit. But the judge dismissed the petition saying that both husband and wife belong to one community and therefore they are not entitled to an inter-caste marriage certificate.
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