S. Pal (student) 23 February 2011
Amit Pateria (Advocate & Consultant (Law) Supreme Court of India New Delhi) 23 February 2011
A person who is a high-caste Hindu and not subjected to any social or educational backwardness in his life, by reason of marriage alone cannot ipso facto become a member of the Scheduled Caste or the Scheduled Tribe.
"The guiding principle is that no person who was not a scheduled caste/tribes by birth will be deemed to be member of scheduled caste or scheduled tribe merely because he or she married person belonging to scheduled or scheduled tribes.
Determination of caste of a person is governed by the customary laws. A person under the customary Hindu law would be inheriting his caste from his father
Even if a female is not a member of tribe by virtue of birth. She having been married to a tribal after due observance of all formalities and after obtaining the approval of the elders of the tribe would belong to the tribal community to which her husband belongs on the analogy of the wife taking the husband domicile."
G. ARAVINTHAN (Legal Consultant / Solicitor) 23 February 2011
Can not be changed as per the present Constitution