Latest news with #ChintadaAnand
Hans India
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Converted individuals urged not to use SC/ST Act
Chebrolu (Guntur district): Chairman of the Jesus Believers Association Council Dr Joseph P Mosiganti here on Friday said that if individuals from Scheduled Castes wish to officially convert to Christianity or Islam as per the government records, according to the 1950 Scheduled Caste Presidential Order, they lose their Scheduled Caste reservation status and are placed under the BC-C (Backward Class-C) category with Christian minority status. They are not eligible to file cases under the SC/ST Atrocities Act. He urged the converted Scheduled Caste individuals to understand this, as some unknowingly file atrocity cases, leading to wastage of time, money, and efforts of officials. The recent High Court judgment in Pastor Chintada Anand's case serves as an example of this. He further advised against converting to another religion due to temptations like positions or money, as it is legally a crime. Attending church does not necessitate conversion. If someone has full faith in God and wishes to convert openly, they must submit documents like a baptism certificate and self-declaration along with an application to the Mandal Revenue Officer (MRO). The Revenue Department verifies the application and forwards it to the Collector's office to update the records in the village/ward secretariat database.
Hans India
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Converted person ineligible to file atrocity case: HC
Amaravati: If a Scheduled Caste person converts to another religion, their caste status ceases to apply, and an atrocity case based on their complaint is not valid, announced Justice Harinadh of the Andhra Pradesh High Court while quashing a criminal petition on Wednesday. According to the case, Chintada Anand from Pittalavanipalem village in Bapatla district, without any permission and in violation of regulations, was conducting a church, to which Akkala Ramireddy and others objected. Consequently, Chintada Anand filed a case against them under the SC, ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Seeking to quash the criminal case, Akkala Ramireddy and others approached the High Court. Advocate JV Phani Dutt, representing the petitioners, argued that since Chintada Anand earns a living as a pastor, he is a Christian, and as per Clause 3 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, a non-Hindu cannot be considered a Scheduled Caste member. Despite being born a Hindu, Anand's conversion to another religion means he no longer belongs to a Scheduled Caste, and thus, the provisions of the Atrocities Act do not apply to him, rendering the case non-maintainable. Furthermore, he argued that the concept of caste in Hinduism does not exist in Islam or Christianity worldwide, making Anand's complaint legally invalid and its continuation a violation of constitutional rights. Anand's advocate, Satish Kumar, countered that petitioner holds a government-issued SC-Hindu certificate, making the Atrocities Act applicable to him. Opposing this, Advocate Phani Dutt argued that a certificate obtained by providing false information to the government authorities is invalid, and filing false criminal cases based on such an invalid certificate constitutes gross misuse of the law. After hearing both sides, the single judge bench headed by Justice Harinath ruled that a Scheduled Caste person who converts to another religion is no longer a Hindu and the SC, ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act does not apply to him. The High Court quashed the criminal case against Akkala Ramireddy and others.
