SC strikes down 10.5 per cent reservation for Vanniyar community
Tamil Nadu’s quota in jobs and education for the Vanniyar community was cancelled today by the Supreme Court, which called it “unconstitutional” and a violation of the right to equality.
The Vanniyar community was given 10.5 per cent reservation in government jobs and educational institutions through a law enacted last year. The law, “Vanniyar Reservation Act 2021”, was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court today.
The state’s ruling DMK said it would consult legal experts on what to do next. “The Supreme Court has accepted that states have the right to grant special reservations. However, it has cited inadequate data. The AIADMK government had done this hastily,” said Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister Durai Murugan.
The Supreme Court’s order upheld a Madras High Court order on November 1 setting aside the quota handed by the AIADMK-led government that was in power in Tamil Nadu at the time.
“It is a violation of Article 14, 15, 16 (Right to equality; Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth; Equality of opportunity in matters of public employment),” said the court on a batch of petitions challenging the Madras High Court ruling.