‘Fair skin, curly hair’: Madras High Court rejects look test to determine caste

An Assistant Commissioner in the Chennai Customs department, M Ravikumar, sought a Scheduled Caste community certificate in 1986. When officials confirmed his eligibility, they examined his appearance, language, and religious background, including his family history, documents, and physical features. The Madras High Court later overturned the decision, citing that physical characteristics might not be relevant to the inquiry.

The court directed the Tiruvannamalai District Level Vigilance Committee to reassess the case. The original certificate, issued in 1986, documented the family's conversion and reconversion to Hinduism. Ravikumar's lawyer presented evidence showing his family's practice of Hindu customs, including prayer rituals and ceremonies. The state argued that the family continued to practice Christianity for employment benefits and cited his father's burial in a Christian cemetery.

The court examined all arguments and found that some were acceptable, while others lacked supporting evidence. The court emphasized that formal conversion alone does not establish entitlement to the certificate and that the individual's unequivocal and categorical belief in the religion matters.