No private educational institution or employer in Tamil Nadu can mandatorily collect caste details, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed.

A Division Bench of Justices C.V. Karthikeyan and R. Sakthivel issued the direction while disposing of a public interest litigation (PIL) petition that had sought a direction to prohibit private educational institutions and private employers in Tamil Nadu from mandatorily collecting caste or community details in application forms unless specifically required under statutory provisions.

The petitioner, N. Vikraman of Virudhunagar, said several private educational institutions and establishments were mandatorily collecting caste and community details in application forms for admission and employment even though there was no statutory requirement for such disclosure. He said such compulsory collection of caste information at the initial stage facilitated discrimination in selection and admission processes.

Compelling disclosure of caste details without statutory backing violated the right to equality, non-discrimination and informational privacy, he said.