Ramadoss moves HC to dismiss petitions challenging 10.5% quota

Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder S Ramadoss filed a counter-petition before the Madras High Court seeking directions to dismiss petitions moved before it challenging the 10.5 per cent internal reservation for Vanniyars in educational institutions and government jobs.

In February, the State government had issued orders to earmark 10.5 per cent special internal reservation for Vanniyakula Kshatriyas in the MBC category under the Tamil Nadu Special Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions including Private Educational Institutions and of appointments or posts in the services under the State within the Reservation for the Most Backward Classes and Denotified Communities Act, 2021.

Subsequently, a batch of petitions were before the HC seeking directions to stop the reservation, stating it was unconstitutional.

Even as these petitions are pending before the court, the PMK founder approached the HC to dismiss all of them stating that the claims of the petitioners were misconceived. “All the contentions and allegations made by the petitioners are misconceived and borne out of improper understanding of facts,” Ramadoss

said in his petition filed through his counsel K Balu.

The PMK leader also stated, “The allegation of the petitioners that the reservation to Vanniyakula Kshatriya communities has been made by the previous government for political gains on the eve of the upcoming elections to the State Assembly is nothing but the product of wild imagination and baseless assumption.”

He also denied the petitioners’ argument that the Act was passed without any material or data. “The petitioners are arguing that the Act has been passed without any supporting material or justifiable data, that the reservation has been made for a particular caste and not a class as required under Articles 15 and 16, and that the whole episode is one orchestrated for political gains by the then ruling party. The aforesaid grounds are invalid and fallacious, and are therefore liable to be rejected,” Ramadoss contended.

Ramadoss also noted that the government had passed the Act only after taking the consideration of the report submitted by Ambasankar Commission in 1985. He added that the State Backward Commission has recommended internal reservation for Vanniyakula Kshatriyas.