Overview
- The PIL, registered as WP 13425 of 2026, asks the Madras High Court to direct Tamil Nadu’s Chief Electoral Officer to apply a religion test when screening nominations for 44 Scheduled Caste constituencies.
- Petitioner Arjunan Sampath of Indu Makkal Katchi wants returning officers to allow only candidates who profess Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism to contest these reserved seats.
- The plea cites Clause 3 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, which limits Scheduled Caste recognition to those three religions.
- It relies on a recent Supreme Court judgment that says someone who adopts another religion cannot claim Scheduled Caste status or receive benefits tied to that status.
- Sampath claims most current nominees in these seats have converted to Christianity and would be ineligible, a statement made in the filing that has not been independently verified.