Chennai, Nov 1 (IANS): PMK founder leader Dr S. Ramadoss has called upon the Tamil Nadu government to appeal in Supreme Court against the Madras High Court's decision to quash 10.5 per cent internal reservation for Vanniyar community within the Most Backward Classes (MBC) quota.

A division bench of the Madras High court comprising Justice M. Duraiswamy and Justice Murali Shankar struck down the Act providing 10.5 per cent reservation to Vanniyar Kshathriya community within the 20 per cent earmarked for Most Backward Classes in education and employment. The court pronounced the verdict quashing the internal reservation on a batch of writ petitions filed in the principal bench of the Madras High Court as well as its Madurai bench challenging the validity of the law passed before the model code of conduct came into force in the state in February 2021.

The senior leader said that the verdict was totally "unacceptable" and said that the Madras High Court has not intervened against the internal reservation for Muslims or Arundathiyars in Tamil Nadu.

Dr Ramadoss wanted Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin to intervene in the matter politically and legally to restore the 10.5 per cent internal reservation to the Vanniyar community within the MBC fold. He said that Stalin knows the need for such a reservation and had taken affirmative action on the reservation even though the reservation was implemented by the previous AIADMK government.

The PMK leader said that the Madras High Court has not taken into consideration that lakhs of Vanniyars have joined educational institutions and entered into jobs following this reservation. While speaking to IANS the PMK leader said, "It is totally unacceptable and we want Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin to appeal in the Supreme Court against the verdict of Madras High court."

The senior leader said that all reservations were based on the caste census undertaken in 1931 and the data compiled by the Backward Class Commission based on the date of the 1931 census.

He said that the 10.5 per cent reservation for Vanniyar community was also provided based on the data compiled by the Backward Classes Commission. He also said that the state government must prepare a strong response to the questions raised in the verdict and said that the questions raised by the Madras High Court are against social justice.