Tamil Nadu commission orders removal of caste names from public places
Tamil Nadu’s State Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has directed district Collectors to remove caste names from streets, roads, waterbodies and other public places. The Collectors have been asked to rename the locations and submit reports within one month.
Tamil Nadu’s State Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has directed all district Collectors to remove caste names from public places across the state. The instruction covers streets, roads, waterbodies and other public locations in local bodies and areas under the revenue administration. The Collectors have also been asked to rename places that bear caste names.
In a letter, Imayam, the Commission’s chairperson-in-charge, requested that the Collectors submit reports within one month of carrying out the removals and renamings. The directive recalls an order issued by the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department in October 2025. It also refers to proceedings before the Madras High Court concerning that order.
According to the Commission’s letter, a Division Bench of the High Court upheld the department’s order. An earlier Bench had granted an interim stay, the letter said. The instruction applies across all districts and extends beyond a single type of public facility.
The source material does not specify how many locations are affected or list the names of places to be changed. The Commission’s direction places responsibility for implementing the change with the district administrations. Their reports, requested within a month after the renamings, are intended to document action taken under the order.
The move was reported by The Hindu on September 26, 2026.
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