Scheduled Castes
Constitutional Definition and Article 341
The definition of "Scheduled Castes" in India is governed by Article 341 of the Constitution and the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 (Presidential Order C.O. 19), issued under Article 341(1).
- Article 341(1) empowers the President to specify, by public notification, the castes/races/tribes that shall be deemed Scheduled Castes for a State or Union Territory.
- Article 341(2) empowers Parliament (by law) to include or exclude groups from the Presidential list.
- The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 originally restricted SC status to Hindus only. The Sikh community was added in 1956 (via the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Act) and Buddhists in 1990 (Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Second Amendment) Act, 1990).
- Christians and Muslims of Dalit background are NOT currently covered — Para 3 of the 1950 Order explicitly states: "No person who professes a religion different from the Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist religion shall be deemed to be a member of a Scheduled Caste."
- SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 protections similarly do not extend to Dalit converts to Christianity or Islam.
● Tracked since March 09, 2026 · last seen April 13, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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