'Inter-caste couples considered only for jobs filled in exchanges'

CHENNAI: The state government on Tuesday informed the Madras High Court that when it comes to government jobs, inter-caste couples will be treated with preference only when the vacancies are filled through the employment exchanges.

The state made this submission before the first bench of Acting Chief Justice T Raja and Justice Paresh Upadhyay. The bench was hearing a petition filed by Gowthama Siddharthan, President, Dr Ambedkar Educational Institution.

The petitioner sought direction to the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) to fill Group IV vacancies by giving preference to the inter-caste couples.

According to the petitioner, the TNPSC released a notification to fill 7342 Group IV vacancies. The TNPSC failed to give preference to the inter-caste couple which is against the recruitment rules.

However, the state countered the arguments of the petitioner stating that there is no rule to give preference to inter-caste couples when the TNPSC is filling vacancies through examinations.

“There is no policy decision to accommodate inter-caste candidates for jobs with preference through the TNPSC exams. Preference will be given to inter-caste candidates only when the jobs are filled by the employment exchanges, ” the government advocate submitted.

Recording the submissions, the bench dismissed the petition on the ground that the petitioner could not file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) for service-related matters.