Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh: In a major intervention against constitutional violations, Rashtra Jyoti, in collaboration with Vishwa Dalit Parishad, organised a Save the Constitution Workshop (संविधान बचाओ कार्यशाला) in Muzaffarnagar today.
The campaign declared clearly that availing Scheduled Caste (SC) reservation benefits after religious conversion to Islam or Christianity is fraud on the Constitution and must be stopped.
The Campaign
The workshop was led by Bhupendra Pal Jatav, head of Rashtra Jyoti’s SC Cell and founder of Vishwa Dalit Parishad. It trained Dalit activists and villagers on:
- The legal position under Article 341 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, which restricts SC reservation to Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists.
- That the Supreme Court, time and again, has reiterated this Constitutional postition, maintaining that the Scheduled Caste certificate can be issued only to a person who is professing either Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism.
- How to file complaints when converted individuals claim SC benefits illegally.
- How to monitor local elections and expose such fraud at the Panchayat level.
A poster released for the campaign carried the bold message:
“धर्मांतरण के बाद आरक्षण लेना = संविधान के साथ धोखा”
(Claiming reservation after conversion is a betrayal of the Constitution).
Cases Highlighted
During the programme, Rashtra Jyoti and Vishwa Dalit Parishad presented three ongoing cases of such fraud from Muzaffarnagar itself:
- Choti Begum, wife of Mohammed Amir Alam, contested and won the panchayat seat from Ward No. 1, Purkazi Block, Muzaffarnagar. This seat is reserved for scheduled castes but Choti Begum is a convert to Islam.
- Julie, wife of Mohammed Jarar Rana, is still holding the panchayat seat from Ward No. 37, Jansath, Mirapur, Muzaffarnagar. This seat is reserved for scheduled castes but Julie is a convert to Islam.
- Aafteen Ali is still holding the panchayat sear from Ward No. 3, Muzaffarnagar Nagar Parishad. This seat is reserved for scheduled castes but Aafreen is a convert to Islam.
Why It Matters
Misuse of reservation after conversion is not only unconstitutional, it robs genuine scheduled castes of their rightful opportunities.
“Lack of awareness has allowed conversion rackets to exploit the loophole for years. By exposing such frauds, we are building a national movement to safeguard SC rights and dismantle conversion mafias,” said Swati Goel Sharma, editor of Rashtra Jyoti.
