Woman's Caste Determined By Birth, Not By Marriage: J&K High Court

The Jammu & Kashmir High Court has ruled that a woman’s Scheduled Tribe (ST) status cannot be revoked solely due to marriage outside her community.

The verdict came in response to a petition filed by Shivaeta Rani, a Padri tribe member, who was denied an ST certificate after marrying outside her tribe.

The court deemed the denial arbitrary and discriminatory, stating that marital status does not affect an individual’s ST/SC/OBC identity. It referred to the Ministry of Home Affairs’ clarification that SC/ST individuals retain their status post-marriage.

Accordingly, the court directed authorities to issue an ST certificate, reinforcing legal safeguards against marriage-based exclusion.