CHENNAI: Concerned over the red-tape culture in issuing community certificate for the people belonging to the marginalised sections in the society, the Madras High Court has issued a set of directives to the Tamil Nadu government to be followed for processing and issuing such certificates by establishing a centralised system.
The first bench of Acting Chief Justice D Krishnakumar and Justice PB Balaji recently passed the orders on the matter.
“The process of applying for community certificate; verifying of the communal status; and, issuing of community certificate shall be centralised by creating a common portal governing the entire State of Tamil Nadu, thereby enabling the applicant to apply to the authority concerned in the district he/she resides, without relegating him/her to the native district,” the bench said.
It added, the aforesaid facility should also make a provision enabling the competent authority in the other district to verify/enquire regarding the communal status of the applicant based on the communal status of her parents or siblings or ancestors who resided in that district, irrespective of the present place of residence of the applicant.
The bench directed the government to fix a “time schedule” for completing the entire procedure, without causing any unnecessary delay, so as to enable the applicant, who belongs to the marginalised community, to have access to education and employment opportunities.
The directives were issued on the petition filed by V Mahalakshmi residing at Tiruvannamalai town challenging the order of the district collector who dismissed her appeal against the order of rejection passed by the revenue divisional officer (RDO) denying her ST certificate for Kattunaickan caste. She had submitted proof the same certificate issued to her father and sister by the authorities of Vellore and Ranipet districts respectively but the RDO of Tiruvannamalai refused to acknowledge them citing the ground that her relatives are non-natives of Tiruvannamalai district.
Referring to hassles the applicant had faced, the bench said, “We are of the firm view that, in the interest of the public at large, the red-tape has to be eased. By leveraging technological advancements, government can streamline the process and improve efficiency in administration.”
The bench stressed the need for simplifying the entire process of verification and issuance of community certificate by creating “centralised online platforms” for the citizens to have easy access to such facilities.
The court posted the matter to September 12 as the State Government Pleader sought time to get instructions from the government on implementation of the directives.