With reference to the Supreme Court ruling on OBC reservations and religious conversion, consider the following statements: 1. The ruling states that the choice of faith alters the source of social backwardness. 2. The court ruled that non-Hindu communities cannot be classified as OBC. 3. A Hindu individual who converts to another religion loses their OBC reservation entitlement. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

OBC Hindu loses reservation entitlement upon converting to another religion, Supreme Court rules

GS2Polity · Governance · IR· Vulnerable sections (SC/ST, minorities, disabled, elderly, children)· Prelims + Mains· 21 October 2026

Judicial interpretation of social backwardness and affirmative action: a GS2 Social Justice case study.

Why in news

The Supreme Court ruled that an OBC Hindu individual loses their reservation entitlement upon converting to another religion, as the choice of faith alters the 'source of social backwardness.'

Background

A Supreme Court Bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Shree Chandrashekhar delivered the ruling on October 15. The court clarified that while non-Hindu communities can still be classified as OBC, the specific entitlement of a converted Hindu is forfeited.

Facts for Prelims

FactIndra Sawhney vs. Union of India: The landmark case establishing the criteria for OBC reservations.

Prelims practice question

With reference to the Supreme Court ruling on OBC reservations and religious conversion, consider the following statements:

The ruling states that the choice of faith alters the source of social backwardness.
The court ruled that non-Hindu communities cannot be classified as OBC.
A Hindu individual who converts to another religion loses their OBC reservation entitlement.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a)3 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c)1 and 3 only
(d)1, 2 and 3

Show answer

Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only — Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Statement 2 is incorrect: The court clarified that non-Hindu communities can still be classified as OBC.

For Mains

Q. Discuss the judicial interpretation of 'social backwardness' in the context of religious conversion and its implications for the reservation policy for Other Backward Classes.

Dimensions to cover in your answer

Legal interpretation: Defining 'source of backwardness' as tied to specific communal identities rather than immutable socio-economic status.
Policy trade-off: Balancing the constitutional right to freedom of religion with the objective of affirmative action for historically marginalized groups.

Keywords: Affirmative Action · Social Backwardness · Judicial Interpretation · Religious Conversion · Constitutionalism

Read the full news →Report a mistake in this note How notes are made Source: The Hindu ↗Also: GS2 · Judiciary & landmark judgments Also: GS1 · Communalism, regionalism & secularism

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