TMMK protests over High Court order against quota for those who convert to Islam

Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam (TMMK) president M.H. Jawahirullah, along with party cadre, organised a protest against the recent order of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, quashing a 2024 Tamil Nadu Government Order (G.O.) allowing OBCs, who have converted to Islam, to avail reservation for Backward Classes Muslims (BCMs) in government jobs and higher education admissions.

Mr. Jawahirullah appealed to the State government and Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay to take legal steps to nullify the court verdict. “The [erstwhile] DMK government had extended the reservations for persons from the Backward Classes who convert to Islam. This has been cancelled. We are protesting against this order,” he said.

Mr. Jawahirullah said the case that led to the verdict was about a person hailing from Thoothukudi, who sought a BCM community certificate, which was denied. “In this case, the court should have either directed the Tahsildar to issue the certificate or state that such an order cannot be given. Instead of that, Justice G.R. Swaminathan referred to a case from 1951, when there have been a number of cases in the interim, which reaffirmed that converted Muslims can be identified as BCM,” he said.