Vanniyar quota: Plea for stalling MBBS/BDS admissions dismissed

The Madras High Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition moved by a former legislator seeking a direction to stall the MBBS and BDS admissions in the State till the disposal of an appeal petition, moved by the TN government before the Supreme Court, for ensuring the 10.5 per cent exclusive reservation for the Vanniyar caste in Most Backward Class (MBC) category.

Justice M Dhandapani dismissed the petition moved by Kaveri Vaiyapuri, a former MLA, who represented the Edappadi Assembly constituency in Salem district on Pattali Makkal Katchi ticket.

The petitioner sought directions to the State government not to proceed with the admission procedures for the MBBS and BDS courses in Tamil Nadu citing a plea challenging the HC’s order that scrapped the 10.5 per cent special reservation for Vanniyars is still pending before the apex court.

However, the judge rejected that contention asking the litigant why he is approaching the Madras HC for this remedy while the petition is pending before the SC and the next hearing is coming before the apex court on February 16, 2022.

“While the appeal petition is there before the SC, the petitioner could not move the HC. The petition would be dismissed with a cost of Rs 1 lakh,” Justice Dhandapani warned the litigant. Therefore, Kaveri submitted that he would withdraw his plea and the same was dismissed.

Recently, on hearing the appeal petition, the SC had passed an interim injunction restraining the state from implementing the special reservation provided for Vanniyars in education and employment till the next hearing which is on February 15.

The AIADMK government has enacted a legislature providing a 10.5 per cent special reservation for Vanniyars in education and employment in February 2021. On July 26, 2021, the DMK government had passed the GO providing a 10.5 per cent special quota for Vanniyars in the Most Backward Class category. Meanwhile, the same was challenged before the HC. On November 1, 2021, a division bench comprising Justice M Duraiswamy and Justice K Murali Shankar quashed the law stating it as unconstitutional. Further, the Tamil Nadu government challenged the order before the SC.