HC directs TN to file counter to plea for community certificate to Brahmins

The Madras High Court today directed the Tamil Nadu government to file a counter affidavit to a PIL seeking to include the Brahmins in the list of communities in the state and issue community certificates to them.
When the plea had come up before the first bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Abdul Quddhose, it had directed the Registry to post it before the second bench headed by Justice Hulivadi G Ramesh.
The PIL was filed by V Arunagiri, an advocate.
The second bench comprising Justice Huluvadi Ramesh and Justice RMT Teekaa Raaman today issued notice to the government and directed it to file a counter affidavit within three weeks.

The petitioner has submitted that neighbouring states such as Andhra Pradesh were issuing community certificates to the Brahmins.
When community certificates were given by authorities to other communities, why are they not being issued in the case of the Brahmin community, he asked.

He submitted that the Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Department, had in an RTI reply said the Brahmins were not classified as community according to a government notification and hence, the issue of community certificates to them does not arise.
The petitioner said the act of the government declining to give community certificates to the Brahmins was "illegal and against the law of the land."

It also affected the fundamental right of equality guaranteed under the Constitution, he said.