MADURAI: Questioning the necessity and intention behind the state government’s GO dated October 6, 2025, prescribing guidelines to identify and remove caste-based names in public spaces, the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court sought a response from the state government on whether a similar GO passed by the government in 1978 has been implemented and what warranted the issuance of a new GO.
Hearing a PIL filed by S Paramasivam, a bench of justices G Jayachandran and KK Ramakrishnan expressed concern as to how such a massive exercise could be completed in a short period, as contemplated by the state and whether effective public consultation was possible within the said timeline.
The judges also pointed out that despite the 1978 GO, caste names are still used in public spaces, even for government buildings.
Though the court may not interfere with policy matters of the government, if there is malafide intention or a colourable exercise of power as alleged by the petitioner, the court has to intervene, the judges added.
However, the additional advocate general M Ajmal Khan explained that the time limit fixed in the GO was just directory and not mandatory.
He further replied that the 1978 GO was only with respect to street names, unlike the new GO. He also denied the petitioner’s allegations that the new names were predetermined.
The annexure only contains suggested names, he added. “Moreover, not all caste names are going to be removed. Only the derogatory ones will be renamed, that too, after getting the opinion of the residents,” he said, adding that he would get a response from the government on the action taken on the 1978 GO. The case was adjourned to February 23.
The litigant alleged that there was no complaint about any caste abuse, quoting the names of the street, road or water body all these years.
The state has issued the GO in view of the upcoming assembly election, he claimed. On October 17, the court had passed an interim order directing the state to proceed with the identification works, but not to take a final decision on the renaming.
According to the GO, the local bodies should prepare a list of caste names of streets, roads, waterbodies, etc by October 14, 2025 and hold public consultations by October 17, 2025. Thereafter, the respective district collectors should invite suggestions and objections from the residents before October 24, 2025. The entire exercise should be completed and published in the gazette before November 19, 2025, the GO added.