Enquiry to be held into certificate issued to lawyer

Sneha Parthiban, a practising lawyer in Tirupattur, was issued a certificate by tahsildar Sathyamoorthy on February stating that she does not belong to any religion or caste. The lawyer managed to get a government certificate sans caste and religion after a 10-year long battle.

When asked on the validity of the certificate, Raman said, that he could answer only after the completion of the inquiry. However, sources in the Tirupattur taluk office said, “The tahsildar issued the certificate only after consulting various officials and after checking all the documents submitted by Sneha in support of her claim.”

Meanwhile, Sneha Parthiban told that though the certificate was issued on February 5, “it came to light only after my post on Facebook.” Actors including Sathyaraj, Nasser, Kamal Haasan and Rohini have sent their wishes praising the act, she said.

Sneha, who has three daughters, said, “My parents, who were also lawyers, wanted me to have an identity without caste and religion. I plan to get similar certificates for my daughters too.”

When asked if the certificate would be accepted by schools and colleges, she pointed out, “There is a School Department GO issued in 2003, which clearly states caste and religion should not be insisted upon.” “I used a regular community certificate form in 2017 to apply for the ‘no religion no caste’ certificate. I have been fighting for obtaining this kind of a certificate for over 10 years now,” she added. To a question on what she has achieved by her act, she said, “I want to be known as a person without caste or religion.” On whether she nursed political ambitions, she said, “Creating awareness about living without caste or religious tags is my social ambition.”