HYDERABAD: Stating that a mere conversion of a scheduled caste man from Hindu religion to Christian religion will not make him a Brahmin or a millionaire and hence it is unfair to deny him the reservation facility.

high court has appreciated the state of Telangana for creating 2 per cent reservations to such converts in social

Gurukul school admissions.

The bench of chief justice

and justice A

was hearing a public interest plea filed by P Srinivas of Hyderabad who challenged the notification earmarking 2 per cent reservations for Dalit Christians issued by the social welfare department seeking applications for admissions into 5th Class.

The bench pointed out that the purpose of reservations was to uplift those who were weak and deprived. The petitioner's counsel Harinath argued that once an SC person converts to Christianity, they cannot be granted a reservation.

Brushing aside this contention, the bench said that the state and the society should never try to keep a person backwards. By conversion, only the nomenclature of the person changes, but not his backwardness, poverty etc. The central philosophy of the reservations is to attend to the more oppressed and backwards, the bench said.

If the State of Telangana decides to be more liberal and provides some space for the converts, there is nothing wrong in it, the bench said. You have to look at the purpose. The state wants to uplift those who were suppressed for thousands of years whose conversion to Christianity will not make them forward, the CJ said. We cannot let these oppressed sections lag behind, he said and posted the case to four weeks. The state's special counsel

said that these reservations are provided in only social welfare

. The bench told the state counsel to file his counter on these issues.