No private educational institution, employer in T.N. can mandatorily collect caste details, says Madras HC

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.