Supreme Court verdict on Arundathiyar quota hailed

Wholeheartedly welcoming the “very important verdict” of the five-judge Constitution bench of the apex court, Stalin said the verdict was a massive victory to the social justice principle of the DMK and the decision taken by the party’s former president M Karunanidhi during his stint as chief minister.

Thanking the SC judges for delivering the verdict, Stalin briefly recalled the affirmative action initiated during the various DMK regimes, including increasing of Schedule Caste reservation to 18 from 16 per cent, provision of one per cent exclusively for STs and separate quota for MBCs and said the verdict confirming reservation for Arundathiyars would be fillip to the social justice principle of the DMK and the principle of Dravidian movement to uplift the downtrodden and marginalised people.

Recalling the speech he had made in the state Assembly on behalf of then CM Karunanidhi during the passage of the Bill in the House over a decade ago, Stalin said the legislation providing for Arundathiyar reservation was a gift in the progress of the community in education and employment.