The AIADMK government had
passed the Vanniyar Reservation Act in February last year, just before the
model code of conduct came into effect for the state elections in April.
New Delhi, 31.3.2022, Thursday :
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.
The AIADMK government had
passed the Vanniyar Reservation Act in February last year, just before the
model code of conduct came into effect for the state elections in April. The
DMK, which came to power in the elections, implemented the quota.
Petitioners argued that the
High Court decision was "erroneous in law" and that a state
legislature has the power to provide quota to bring a community into the
mainstream. Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) party founder S. Ramadoss had submitted
that legislation unanimously passed by the state legislature enjoyed the
presumption of constitutionality.