Controversy over AP Minister Adimulapu Suresh’s SC Status: Complaint Filed with District Collector for Inquiry

Exploitation and misuse of SC status are rampant among converted Christians in Andhra Pradesh, especially in politics. One such case is that of Adimulapu Suresh, the Minister of Andhra Pradesh Municipal Administration, who was elected from the SC-reserved Yerragondapalem assembly constituency as a YSRCP candidate.

In this regard, P. Emmanuel, a resident of Markapura, filed a complaint during the ‘Spandana’, a grievances program held at the Collectorate on Monday. The complainant alleges that Adimulapu Suresh does not belong to the SC category. In addition to this, the complainant alleged that Suresh’s parents tampered with his educational certificates to make him a permanent beneficiary of constitutional benefits, which are exclusively reserved for scheduled caste people.

The complainant further alleges that Suresh’s parents, Adimulapu Samuel George and Theresamma, were headmasters at Zilla Parishad High School at Gajjalakonda Village of Markapur mandal and retired around 1984. Following their retirement, they established Sree Rayalaseema Christian College of Education in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, under the Christian Minority Quota, with the necessary approvals from the authorities. This indicates that they claimed themselves as Christians to obtain the necessary approvals for the establishment of an educational institution.

The complainant further claims that while George was headmaster, he deliberately registered his son Suresh as a person from Scheduled Caste (SC), despite their family status being changed to the BC (C) category following their religious conversion to Christianity in the 1980s. As per President’s Constitutional Order 1950, SCs who convert to Christianity or Islam are deemed to cease to be members of the Scheduled Caste category, and those are being accorded BC-C status.

If these allegations surrounding the minister are found to be true, it could cast doubt on the authenticity of Suresh’s SC certificate and raise questions about his claim of belonging to the Madiga community (a designated caste in the SC category in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana).It can be presumed that Goerge declared himself a Christian to obtain the due permissions to establish a college under the Christian minority quota. The allegations of tampering with religious details of his son’s educational certificates by Adimulapu George add further ambiguity to the historical caste identification of the Suresh family and their potential inconsistencies to avail themselves of the constitutional benefits that are exclusively reserved for SCs.

In addition to Adilamulam Suresh, there have been multiple accusations against ministers in the cabinet of Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy who have a history of abusing their status as SC members.

One response to “Controversy over AP Minister Adimulapu Suresh’s SC Status: Complaint Filed with District Collector for Inquiry”

Vemuru srinivasa rao

January 30, 2024 at 2:10 am

Facts: A person belongs to a Scheduled Caste (SC) by birth, but his parents converted to Christianity. He wants to convert back to Hinduism and apply for a SC certificate. He also wants to know if he will get the privileges under the SC category as per law.

Issues: The main issues are:

– Whether a person who converts from Christianity to Hinduism can be regarded as a member of the SC community to which his ancestors belonged.
– Whether such a person can obtain a SC certificate and avail the benefits of reservation and other schemes for SCs.
– What are the legal provisions and case laws that govern these issues.
– What are the procedures and documents required for applying for a SC certificate.

Sections and provisions of Indian laws: The Constitution of India provides for the protection and welfare of SCs and STs in Articles 15, 16, 17, 46, 338, 341 and 342. Article 341 empowers the President to specify the castes, races or tribes or parts of or groups within castes, races or tribes which shall for the purposes of the Constitution be deemed to be SCs in relation to that State or Union territory. The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 lists the SCs in relation to various States and Union territories. Paragraph 3 of this Order states that “no person who professes a religion different from the Hindu, the Sikh or the Buddhist religion shall be deemed to be a member of a Scheduled Caste.” This means that a person who converts to Christianity or Islam loses his SC status and cannot claim the benefits meant for SCs.

However, the Supreme Court has held that a person who reconverts to Hinduism can be accorded SC status if he is accepted by the community and proves that either he or his forefathers belonged to that caste before embracing another religion. This was decided in the case of K.P. Manu vs. Chairman, Scrutiny Committee for Verification of Community Certificate [(2015) 13 SCC 293]. In this case, the court observed that “there must be absolutely clear-cut proof that he belongs to the caste that has been recognised by the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950; there has been reconversion to the original religion to which the parents and earlier generations had belonged; and there has to be evidence establishing the acceptance by the community.” The court also held that the marriage of a person with a Christian woman does not affect his SC status if he continues to profess Hinduism.

Relevant case study: A similar case was decided by the Kerala High Court in the case of S. Anand vs. State of Kerala [2021 SCC OnLine Ker 2849]. In this case, the petitioner was born to Hindu parents belonging to the SC community, but they converted to Christianity when he was a child. He reconverted to Hinduism at the age of 24 and obtained a SC certificate from the community organisation. However, his certificate was cancelled by the scrutiny committee on the ground that he was not a Hindu by birth and that he married a Christian woman. The petitioner challenged this decision in the high court. The high court allowed his petition and held that he was entitled to the SC certificate as he had proved his reconversion to Hinduism and his acceptance by the community. The court also relied on the Supreme Court’s judgment in K.P. Manu’s case and held that his marriage with a Christian woman did not affect his SC status as he did not change his religion.

Application procedure: The procedure for applying for a SC certificate may vary from State to State, but generally it involves the following steps:

– Obtain the application form from the local authority, such as the tehsildar, revenue department, municipality or online portal.
– Fill the application form with accurate details and attach the required documents, such as proof of identity, address, caste, religion, reconversion, community acceptance, etc.
– Submit the application form to the concerned authority and obtain an acknowledgement slip.
– The authority will verify the application and the documents and issue the SC certificate if the applicant is found eligible.
– The applicant can check the status of the application online or offline and download the certificate if issued.

Conclusion: Based on the above information, it can be concluded that a person who converts from Christianity to Hinduism can claim SC status and obtain a SC certificate if he fulfils the following conditions:

– He or his forefathers belonged to a caste that is recognised as SC in the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 in relation to the State or Union territory where he resides.
– He has reconverted to Hinduism and follows its customs and practices.
– He has been accepted by the SC community to which he claims to belong.
– He has the necessary documents to prove his caste, religion, reconversion and community acceptance.

Reply