Chennai: Pattali Makkal Katchi founder Dr S Ramadoss today said his party will not rest till the reservation for Vanniyar community is restored.
He has said this a day after the Madras High Court on Monday declared the Special Reservation Act, 2021, that gave 10.5 per cent reservation to the Vanniyars, as unconstitutional.
The Act passed hastily earlier this year on 26 February, by the previous AIADMK government, set aside 10.5 per cent reservation in education and jobs to Vanniyars, who come under the Most Backward Class (MBC) category.
MBCs and Denotified Communities (DNC) in Tamilnadu get a total 20 per cent reservation, and the February move meant that the remaining groups in the category got a total of 9.5 per cent reservation.
In an epistle to members of the community today, a copy of which was released to the media here, Ramadoss said the court order is certainly a setback. ‘But don’t worry, the PMK will not rest till the reservation is restored and all necessary legal measures will be taken to ensure this,’ he added.
On Monday, Justices M. Duraiswamy and K. Murali Shankar allowed a batch of writ petitions filed in the principal seat of the High Court as well as its Madurai Bench challenging the validity of the law passed just hours before the model code of conduct came into force in the State in February for the Assembly election.
After the order was passed, advocate K Balu representing a group of petitioners supporting the reservation requested the court to suspend the order at least for a week for them to move an appeal in the Supreme Court.
‘If the order is not suspended, it will affect the prospects of students who have secured admission under the reservation,’ he said.
Refusing to accept the same, the bench said, ‘It has been made clear through an interim order that admissions and appointments made providing the reservation will be subject to the outcome of the pleas. Suspending the order will only complicate the issue.’