The Madras High Court today issued notice to Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer and state Election Commission on taking steps to provide separate polling booths for Dalits and caste Hindus in Arunthathiyar Colony in Dharmapuri District.
The First Bench Comprising Chief Justice R K Agrawal and Justice K Ravichandra Babu directed to reply them within four weeks on a petition filed by S Sathyachandran, an advocate, stating that caste Hindus prevented Dalits from casting votes in same booth earlier.
Sathyachadran submitted that there were about 700 Dalits and over 5000 caste Hindus in the colony.
Majority of these Dalits, out of fear, not voted in any elections. Only in the last assembly polls, because of heavy police presence, some Dalits exercised their franchise, he contended.
