The Madras High Court has directed the Secretary, Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, to consider a letter of the Secretary, Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department, Tamil Nadu, of August 2006 on Narikuravas, and dispose of the matter within six weeks.
A Division Bench, comprising Justices Elipe Dharma Rao and D. Hariparanthaman, passed the interim order on a public interest litigation petition by M. Samson Vengaiyan of Adikathur, Tiruvallur, seeking a direction to authorities to dispose of his representation demanding ‘scheduled tribe' status for Narikuravas.
The Bench posted the matter for further hearing after six weeks.
The petitioner submitted that except in Tamil Nadu, Narikuravas had been included in the ST list. Inclusion of the community in the MBC list in the State was unjust and unfair.
Parliament should enact a law to include Narikuravar alias Kuruvikarar community in the ST list as the community had been pushed to poverty. It was socially, educationally and economically backward.
The State Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department had written to the Union Government in August 2006.
