{
  "id": 8714153,
  "title": "Madras High Court Says Complexion, Height And Physical Features Cannot Decide Whether Person Belongs To SC Community",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/madras-high-court-says-complexion-height-and-physical-features-cannot",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-20T15:11:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/madras-high-court-says-complexion-height-and-physical-features-cannot-decide-whether-person-belongs-to-sc-community"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Madras High Court has ruled that physical characteristics such as complexion, height, physique, language and hair cannot be used to determine if an individual belongs to a Scheduled Caste. This decision overturned a previous ruling that denied a community certificate to M Ravikumar, who claimed to have reverted to Hinduism after being born into a Christian family. The Court held that such factors may not have any relevance in assessing someone's caste membership. Judge D Bharatha Chakravarthy found that the Tiruvannamalai District Level Vigilance Committee used physical attributes like the petitioner's fair complexion, tall stature and curly hair to question the authenticity of Ravikumar's claim to be a Hindu Adi Dravidar. The court noted that these observations were not made by an anthropologist. The case revolved around Ravikumar, whose community certificate identified him as a Hindu Adi Dravidar, but his father had converted to Christianity in 1960 and he himself was born in a Christian family in 1966. In 1983, Ravikumar and his father reconverted to Hinduism. He obtained a community certificate in 1986, allowing him to work for the Customs department. However, his certificate was later questioned and found to be not genuine by the vigilance committee. The Court also pointed out inconsistencies in the committee's findings, such as a 1994 ration card purportedly showing Ravikumar's daughter as Christian when their birth dates indicated otherwise. The High Court referred to the Supreme Court's ruling in K.P. Manu v. Chairman, Scrutiny Committee for Verification of Community Certificate, which held that an individual born after their parents' conversion to Christianity and accepted by members of the caste belongs to that caste. The Madras High Court did not finally decide Ravikumar's entitlement to the certificate but set aside the May 4 proceedings and ordered a fresh enquiry. He has been given four weeks to appear before the committee to provide evidence of his Hindu practices and acceptance by the community.",
  "summary": "Chennai: Can a person’s complexion, height, physique, language and hair be used to determine whether he genuinely belongs to a Scheduled Caste or not? Judge Flags Vigilance Committee’s Observations The Madras High Court has said such factors “may not have any relevance”, setting aside a decision to reject the community certificate of a man who claimed to have returned to Hinduism after being born…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times",
        "title": "Fair skin, curly hair, tall height, no basis to determine caste or religion, says Madras high court",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/fair-skin-curly-hair-tall-height-no-basis-to-determine-caste-or",
        "published": "2026-09-20T15:04:30.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}