‘Untouchability angle behind PDS shop shifting’: Notice to state govt, SC panel

Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana before whom the plea came up for hearing on Thursday ordered notice to the State as well as the National Commission for Human Rights and National Commission for Scheduled Castes returnable by January 4.

B Narayanan, a resident of Paali village had contended that Paali village consists of two segments namely, ‘Colony’ and ‘Ur’ wherein members of scheduled Caste live in the Colony while caste Hindus reside in the Ur.

While the Scheduled Caste population is more than thrice than that of the caste Hindus, the ration shop was located for decades in the caste Hindu area that was about 1.5 km away from the colony area.

Since the caste Hindus did not like the members of Scheduled Caste entering their area, they subjected them to various harassment like asking them not to sit, not stand close enough to touch, to buy ration goods from standing at a distance, to collect goods only after the caste Hindus collect them and so on.

Following repeated representations in this regard, the Revenue Authorities on June 24 shifted the said ration shop from the Ur area into the Colony area to a Self Help Group building belonging to the government.

After the shift, the caste Hindus have been refusing to come to the ration shop situated in the Colony area, thereby preaching and practicing untouchability and creating caste-related problems.

Based on this, a peace committee meeting attended by both groups was held on September 5 and it was decided to allow the functioning of the ration shop for two days a week (Tuesday and Thursday) in the Ur area and for four days a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday) in the Colony area.

Though the proposal of the peace commitee was objected to initially, the threat of its closure and opening of the shop in the caste Hindu area led to it being accepted, the plea said.

While seeking the court to intervene and restrain the Vellore district administration from shifting the ration shop from the existing place, the plea noted that there has been a systematic caste-based criminal conspiracy among the said caste Hindus to commit offences against the Scheduled Caste members living in the Colony area.

The plea also sought the court to declare that the division of any village on caste basis into two segments such as this, is unconstitutional. The plea also sought the court to direct the State to take necessary action to create revenue and other records to ensure that all villages in the State were single units without any caste-based divisions like the Colony and Ur areas of Paali village.