Tamil Nadu community seeks removal from Scheduled Caste list
Members of Tamil Nadu’s Devendrakula Vellalar community, which is listed as a Scheduled Caste, are seeking removal from the classification and say they are prepared to forgo reservation benefits. Supporters describe the demand as a quest for social recognition, while the debate has also raised questions about caste law and politics.
A section of Tamil Nadu’s Devendrakula Vellalar community is seeking removal from India’s Scheduled Caste list, even if that means giving up reservation benefits in education and employment. Ananthan Ayyasamy, a community member, entrepreneur and BJP district president, has argued that the group should not be referred to as Dalits. He has also said members have taken a voluntary position against filing cases under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Ayyasamy said the law had been weaponised in some cases and could deepen caste conflict. His comments followed the death by suicide of an IIT Bombay student and the charging of a professor under the Act after allegations of caste bias and abetment. The Devendrakula Vellalar community was formed through the 2021 merger of seven sub-castes, including Pallar, under a unified name.
Community leaders have said the earlier terminology did not reflect their desired identity. Supporters of delisting describe it as a demand for social recognition rather than access to greater reservation. The supplied material notes that reservation remains a major reason communities seek inclusion in protected categories.
The debate does not establish that reservation protections are unnecessary for other communities. It concerns the specific aspirations and political demands of Devendrakula Vellalar members in Tamil Nadu.
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