The Madras High Court has ordered notice to the state government, the University Grants Commission (UGC), and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking to prohibit private colleges from mandatorily collecting caste and community details in application forms.
Petitioner's Concerns
The petition was filed by N Vikraman, 41, a resident of Inam Reddiapatti in Virudhunagar district. He cited examples of a job application form issued by Sri Vidya College of Engineering and Technology, Virudhunagar, and a scholar enrolment form issued by Sethu Institute of Technology, Kariyapatti, which allegedly required applicants to disclose caste and community details.
“Several private educational institutions were collecting caste and community details at the initial stage of admission, though there was no statutory requirement for such disclosure,” Vikraman stated in his petition. He added that such compulsory collection could facilitate discrimination in selection and admission processes.
Current Practices in Tamil Nadu
In Tamil Nadu, colleges typically collect only reservation status—such as OC, BC, MBC, SC, and ST—during the application stage. Community certificates are gathered later only for scholarship verification, validation, and other statutory purposes. However, the practice of collecting caste or community names in application forms is observed in a few colleges in Kerala and neighboring Andhra Pradesh.
Vikraman said he submitted an online grievance to government authorities on February 27, seeking abolition of the practice or the framing of safeguards. Since no action was taken, he approached the court. “This practice violated equality, non-discrimination, and informational privacy,” he argued.
Court's Order
A division bench comprising Justices N Sathish Kumar and M Jothiraman on Friday sought reports from the state departments and agencies concerned before the next hearing, scheduled for July 21.
