Casteless Society Is Our Constitutional Goal: Madras HC Declines Plea To Appoint Temple Trustees From Specific Sub-Caste
The case involved an application to conduct an inquiry regarding a proposal to appoint non-hereditary trustees from a specific sub-caste to manage the temple.
Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy, Madras High Court
The Madras High Court ruled that the plea to establish a scheme for administering the Arulmighu Varatharaja Perumal and Senraya Perumal Temple by appointing non-hereditary trustees from a specific caste was not only unconstitutional but also contrary to public policy.
The case involved a writ petition seeking time-bound disposal of an application seeking the Joint Commissioner of the HR & CE Department, Coimbatore to conduct an inquiry regarding a proposal to appoint non-hereditary trustees from a specific sub-caste to manage the temple.
A Bench of Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy observed, “Despite seventy-five years of our Constitution, sections of the society are yet to shed this unwanted baggage. The very operation of the Constitutional scheme is frustrated, and the caste system leads to the perversion of the goals and values of the society. Thus, any prayer made which is in the nature of or which has the effect of perpetuation of caste will not only be unconstitutional but would be opposed to public policy. The time has come for this Court to emphatically declare so,”
Advocate V.Usharani appeared for the Petitioner and Advocate N.R.R.Arun Natarajan appeared for the respondents.
The Court remarked that allowing such an application would undermine the very fabric of the Constitution, which aims to foster equality. It emphasized that any attempt to perpetuate caste distinctions was not only unconstitutional but also fundamentally opposed to public policy.
The Court added, “Caste is a social evil. Casteless society is our constitutional goal. Anything towards perpetuation of caste can never be considered by any Court of law. The reason is very simple. Firstly, it is not decided by what one learns or does in life. It is by birth. Thus, it hits at the very basic ethos of the society that all men are born equal. Further, it divides society, leads to discrimination and violence and is against growth,”
The Court pointed out that caste, being determined by birth rather than one’s education or actions, contradicts the fundamental belief that all individuals are born equal. It stressed that caste divisions lead to discrimination, societal fragmentation, and hinder overall growth. As such, the Court stated that the perpetuation of caste could never be supported by the law.
Further, the Court referenced the Supreme Court's judgment in Ashoka Kumar Thakur v. Union of India, where the Apex court had stated that the Constitution aims to ensure that no individual faces discrimination on account of their caste, while ultimately striving for a casteless and classless society. The Madras High Court reiterated that this vision of a casteless society is in line with the ideals of the Constitution.
The Court said, “I hold that the very prayer of the petitioner is opposed to public policy and constitutional goals and as such, this Court, exercising power under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, can never aid such prayers.”
The Court cited the words of Swami Vivekananda, who stated, “The soul has neither sex nor caste nor imperfection”.
The Court concluded that such a plea should not be entertained and dismissed the application accordingly.
Cause Title: A. Rajendran v. The Joint Commissioner, [2025:MHC:377]
