Allotment of housing plots can’t be sought on basis of caste: HC

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court made it clear that the housing plots cannot be allocated only on the basis of caste and it should be on the basis of the eligibility of the beneficiaries irrespective of their caste identity.

The first bench comprising Acting Chief Justice T Raja and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy passed the orders on dismissing an appeal preferred by Manju, a resident of Vellagoundapalayam, Dharmapuri district.

According to the petitioner, the district administration has acquired around four acres of land in Vellagoundapalayam village to allot it for housing plots for the SC community people.

She further pointed out that the land acquisition works were done only after the Arunthathiyar people made repeated petitions and efforts as they were suffering without any housing site. “After the land acquisition, the plots were also allotted to eight Scheduled Caste (Adhi Dravidar community) people,” Manju argued, adding,” the move of the respondents is illegal and arbitrary.”

Recording the submissions, Justice Bharatha Chakravarthy who wrote the order held, “...So long as the housing plots are allotted to the eligible Scheduled Caste community people, the appellant cannot seek to enforce allotment of plots on the basis of caste."

Holding that the claim of the petitioner is untenable, the court added, "Among the SC people, irrespective of their caste, be it Arunthathiyar or Adhi Dravida community, the respondents have considered the requests and have allotted the plots.”

The judges also pointed out that the appellant and other Arunthathiyar people in the village were not left out on the basis of their caste.

While rejecting the appeal, the court insisted to the respondents that if any of the people from the Arunthathiyar Section to allot a housing plot shall be considered on the basis of their eligibility.

The appellant challenged the order of a single judge directing her to work out a remedy as per the order of the Dharmapuri district munsif court where a suit was pending in this connection.