https://realagnikulakshathriyarvanniyar.wordpress.com/2017/11/30/vanniyar-is-stschedule-tribe-caste/ 

Vanniyar Kshathriyar Myth Debunked 

Vanniyar is ST(Schedule Tribe) Caste Vanniyars Agni Kula Kshathriyar Myth Debunked 

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/hc-asks-centre-to-check-records-on-vanniyars-as-sts/articleshow/58485475.cms

HC asks centre to check records on vanniyars as STs

CHENNAI: The influential vanniyar caste people who comprise more than 25% of the Tamil Nadu population today belong to the Most Backward Class, but a 1936 notification in The Gazette of India has listed them as a Backward Tribe. An oversight by the Rashtrapathi Bhavan officials may have led to the exclusion of the caste from “The Constitution Scheduled Tribes Order 1950” which listed 1,108 castes across 29 states of India.

Armed with the 1936 Gazette of India notification, retired tahsildar (Tiruvallur district) J D Muthu filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Madras high court demanding that ‘vanniyars’ be granted their place under the Schedule Tribes (ST) caste. In response, the Madras high court in its order on April 28, 2016 asked the state Tribal Research Centre (Ooty) to peruse the concerned documents and submit a report within six months to the central government.

The Tribal Research Centre director who has been tasked with preparing the report has asked the petitioner Muthu to collect details of vanniyars and their whereabouts in the state. Muthu, who is founder of Makkal Nala Urimaigal Padhukapu Trust, says, “If vanniyars are moved back under the ST category, they will be eligible to welfare schemes. It is unjust that they are denied their rights because of an oversight in documentation.”

The Thirteenth Schedule in the Gazette of India published on June 6, 1936 lists 45 tribes under the list of Backward Tribes. The list includes ‘palli’, the former name for the vanniyar caste group, but later in the Scheduled Tribes Order 1950 it was left out.

In his affidavit to the high court, Muthu wrote, “The said palli community people were wrongly classified as Backward Class as per Government Order No. 1564, Social Welfare Department dated July 30, 1985 and subsequently reclassified as Most Backward Class by the Backward Classes and Most Backward Classes department in 1994.”

The affidavit dated December 11, 2015 further states, “The Palli Backward Tribe people are now reclassified and notified as Most Backward Class people by name ‘vanniyakula kshatriya’ and such reclassification is erroneous, constitutionally impermissible and violative of Articles 14, 15, 16 and 342 of the Constitution.”

Palli is the synonym of sub divisions such as ‘agnikula kshatriya’, vanniya kula kshatriya, ‘vanniyar’, ‘vanniya’, ‘palli’, vanniya goundar’, vanniya naicker’, ‘vanniya reddiyar’, ‘varma’, ‘padayachi’, ‘pallava naicker’, ‘gounder’ or ‘kander’, ‘naicker’, ‘udalyar’ and ‘reddiyar’ among others. Muthu wrote to the President of India in August 2012 with a request to declare Palli as a Scheduled Tribe.

Muthu says, “My representation to the president was forwarded to the Adidravidar and Tribal Welfare Department (Tamil Nadu) from where it was sent to The Director of Scheduled Tribes (Ezhilagam).” When the Tribal Research Centre’s was consulted, its director submitted that the reclassification of the palli as a Most Backward Class is correct. Muthu contends the claim.

Muthu says, “Any decision or consideration regarding a tribe should be decided only by the President of India and not by the state government.” A year has passed since HC ruled in favour of the petitioner, but the report from the Tribal Research Centre is still pending.