Madras HC Orders To Convert Caste-Based Burial Grounds Into Common Facilities

The Court said that after understanding the ill-effects of the caste system the court will not provide approval to set up a separate burial ground on the basis of caste.

Madras High Court

Chennai: Expressing anguish over caste-based discrimination even after death of a person, the Madras High Court on Tuesday ordered the government to convert all the caste-based burial grounds across Tamil Nadu into a common burial space. The Court gave the direction while hearing a petition to allocate a separate burial ground in Madur village of Kallakurichi for Arunthathiyar people due to caste discrimination.

The case came up for hearing before Justice R Mahadevan on Tuesday and the judge rejecting the plea said that more burial grounds can be constructed for people of a particular religion so that they can bury the deceased without any caste discrimination. He also said that the people who oppose the burial should face penal action. 

Meanwhile, the writ petition filed before the court said that the Arunthathiyar members were burying the corpses on a poramboke land due to absence of a place for burial. They also said that the owners near the poramboke land are put to suffer and the difficulty increases, especially during floods. 

Taking a note of the situation, the judge said that the litigation seeking right to burial, which is an important part of human digity, pains the court since such cases come frequently.

Further, the Court said that after understanding the ill-effects of the caste system even though the police are ready to identify a land for Arundatiyars, the court will not provide approval to set up a seperate burial ground on the basis of caste.