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Madras High Court restores SC certificate after inquiry order

By Drooid · Sep 21, 2026, 11:58 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Madras High Court set aside the Tiruvannamalai vigilance committee’s order voiding M. Ravikumar’s Scheduled Caste certificate.
Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy ruled that skin colour, height, physique and language cannot determine caste.
The court affirmed Ravikumar’s birth-right to the Adi Dravidar Scheduled Caste despite his family’s 1960 Christian conversion and 1983 Hindu reconversion.
It ordered a fresh inquiry, giving Ravikumar four weeks to submit proof and eight weeks for a new decision.

History

Historical Context

India’s affirmative-action framework began with pre-independence quotas and expanded after the 1950 Constitution, culminating in the 1992 Indra Sawhney ruling that set a 27 % OBC reservation and a 50 % overall ceiling. Tamil Nadu later exceeded this with a 69 % quota. Today, Madras High Court Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy’s verdict overturning a caste-denial mirrors Sawhney’s precedent, reinforcing judicial enforcement of reservation policy.

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Story summary

Madras High Court set aside the Tiruvannamalai vigilance committee’s order voiding M. Ravikumar’s Scheduled Caste certificate.
Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy ruled that skin colour, height, physique and language cannot determine caste.
The court affirmed Ravikumar’s birth-right to the Adi Dravidar Scheduled Caste despite his family’s 1960 Christian conversion and 1983 Hindu reconversion.
It ordered a fresh inquiry, giving Ravikumar four weeks to submit proof and eight weeks for a new decision.

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