Madras High Court directs Tamil Nadu government to remove caste names from street signs

Justice N. Sathish Kumar of the Madras High Court issued the directive while presiding over a bail application filed by an individual arrested in a criminal case in Namakkal district. Upon reviewing the First Information Report, the judge noted that the document identified a street using a specific caste name. Expressing concern over the persistence of this practice, the court questioned why such identifiers remain in use decades after initial government mandates were established.

The court emphasized that the state government must strictly enforce existing policies to remove caste-based references from all public infrastructure. The government had previously issued orders in 1998 requiring the removal of caste names from streets and roads, but the court observed that these instructions have not been fully implemented. The current judicial intervention serves as a reminder to the administration to ensure compliance with these long-standing directives.