A petition was filed in the Madras High Court today seeking to declare the seven sub-sects of scheduled caste (SC) for classifying in one name - Devendra Kula Velalar - and brought under one roof.
Justice M Sathyanarayanan, before whom the petition of Tamil Nadu Devendira Kula Velalar Uravinmurai Sangam president C Selvakumar came up for admission, issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Revenue Secretary and Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department Secretary.
The Sangam submitted that the state had seven subsects of SCs - Kudumban, Pannadi, Kalladi, Devendrakulathan, Pallan, Kadaiyan and Vathiriyan. All these subsects denote one caste, but reservation benefits meant for SCs were not being extended to Devendra Kula Vellalars, it said.
Acceding to long-pending demands of people, the department issued an order on February 17, 2011 clubbing all the seven subsects into one caste.
Though the Adi Dravidar Welfare department had passed the orders more than four years ago, the Revenue Secretary and Chief Secretary were denying community certificates to their members, the Sangam submitted, adding, unless Devendra Kula Velalars are declared as scheduled castes and all relevant reservation benefits extended to them, it would cause prejudice to their rights, it said.
It wanted the court to implement the Government Order dated February 17, 2011, and further direct the authorities to include the common name of Devendra Kula Velalars in the list of SC communities, by acting upon a representation submitted to the Chief Secretary on May 25.
