No need for ‘no caste, no religion’ certificate, says Madras HC judge after actor Parthiban gets one

CHENNAI: Justice M Dhandapani of the Madras High Court on Wednesday expressed that there was no need for a ‘no caste, no religion’ certificate and that such principles must be reflected through one’s actions. The judge made the remark after actor R Parthiban received a similar certificate, as reported by Maalaimalar.

Parthiban had initially requested the Sholinganallur district tahsildar for a ‘no caste, no religion’ certificate, but as no order was passed, he moved the High Court, stating that divisions based on caste, religion, and language are "detrimental to national unity."

Following inquiry, the judge had ordered the tahsildar to issue the certificate to the actor within a week. After the issuing of the certificate on April 27, the matter was taken up for hearnig today (April 29).

Actor Parthiban, who was present in the court today, thanked the judge, to which the latter replied, "There is no need to obtain a certificate to prove that one is free from caste and religion. The tahsildar also does not have the authoritiy to provide such a certificate. I ordered to provide this certificate based on the order already issued by the two-judge bench," the judge added.

Emphasising that being free of caste and religion is a personal practice, he said, adding that such a status does not require official certification or even a formal self-declaration. "Furthermore, this certificate may serve a purpose for publicity, if nothing else. In reality, the state of being without caste or religion is something we must practice ourselves; a certificate is not essential for it. Nor is there any necessity to make a self-declaration stating that one is free from caste or religion," he opined.

To this, Parthiban responded that even to be called a good person, a certificate is required these days.