[1]Chennai: The Madras High Court has ordered a notice to the Tamil Nadu government on a PIL seeking removal of caste names prefixed or suffixed into government and aided schools and colleges in the state.
On a petition from S. Saravanan of Chennai, the first bench comprising acting Chief Justice R.K. Agrawal and Justice M. Sathiyanarayan has ordered notice to chief secretary, principal secretary, higher education department, and adjourned the matter to September 10.
The petitioner contended that the caste system is deeply embedded in people’s minds. “The Father of the Constitution, Dr B.R. Ambedkar, described that caste system as ‘a device designed to divide the people and it corrupts people and encourages violence and exploitation’,” he noted.
The Tamil Nadu government had taken efforts to wipe out the caste system in the past. Social reformer E.V.R. Periyar had launched ‘Suya Mariyathai Iyakkam’ for the task. During E.V.R. Periyar’s birth centenary celebration in 1979-80, then CM M.G. Ramachandran had ordered removal of caste names tagged to street names.
In 1997, the state transport corporation names were also changed. Unfortunately, many educational institutions run by government and aided school continue to have caste names. The petitioner submitted a brief list of such colleges and schools in the state.
Recently, a 12-year-old boy was forced by his school principal to carry his footwear on his head.
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