In its March 2026 judgment, the apex court upheld the High Court's decision, holding that a person professing Christianity cannot claim the legal protections available under the SC/ST Act because Scheduled Caste status is recognised only for persons professing Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism.
During the hearing, the court ordered the re-formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT). CJI Surya Kant said that the new SIT should be led by an IPS officer and that the Ram Mandir donation theft probe can reach a decisive stage.
The Madras High Court passed a verdict on 25th June this year, criticising the government order allowing converts to Islam to claim BC status. The court reprimanded the Tamil Nadu government for passing the order with the intention of overriding the judicial precedents and, in effect, incentivising conversion to Islam.