Facts
The petitioner, an SC-Arunthathiyar candidate who obtained 276.75 marks, participated in the TNPSC recruitment for Motor Vehicle Inspector Grade-II under Notification No. 03/2018.
Source reference: p. 3–5After the selected list was published on 16 September 2026, he challenged the method used to fill SC and SC(A) vacancies, contending that meritorious SC(A) candidates should first be considered against SC-General vacancies and not counted against the SC(A) sub-quota.
Source reference: p. 3–5The TNPSC stated that it had followed Government guidelines dated 8 May 2026, but the Additional Advocate General accepted that those guidelines were contrary to the Division Bench ruling in W.A.(MD) No. 2471 of 2024.
Source reference: p. 6–7Issues
Whether the selection method for SC and SC(A) vacancies under Notification No. 03/2018 was consistent with Section 8 of the Tamil Nadu Arunthathiyars (Special Reservation) Act, 2009 and the Division Bench ruling in W.A.(MD) No. 2471 of 2024.
Source reference: p. 4–5Whether the TNPSC should review the selection list in light of that ruling.
Source reference: p. 7–8Law Applied
Section 8 of the Tamil Nadu Arunthathiyars (Special Reservation) Act, 2009 requires that meritorious Arunthathiyar candidates may compete for SC-General vacancies without their selection reducing or affecting the SC(A) sub-quota.
Source reference: p. 5–6The Division Bench in W.A.(MD) No. 2471 of 2024 (20 June 2025) held that open-quota vacancies are filled first on merit and that an Arunthathiyar candidate selected on merit against an SC-General vacancy should not be adjusted against an SC(A) vacancy; the judgment stated that this approach gives effect to Section 8, which prevails over the cited provisions of the Tamil Nadu Act 14 of 2016 and Sections 3–5 of the 2009 Act.
Source reference: p. 5–6Reasoning
The petitioner’s challenge concerned the allocation of four SC(A) vacancies to the highest-ranked SC(A) candidates before those candidates were considered against SC-General vacancies.
Source reference: p. 4–5The Government guidelines relied upon by the TNPSC directed that preferential SC(A) seats be offered first, a procedure the Additional Advocate General acknowledged was contrary to the Division Bench’s interpretation of Section 8.
Source reference: p. 6–7In light of that concession and the governing precedent, the Court directed the TNPSC to review the SC and SC(A) selections in accordance with the Division Bench ruling.
Source reference: p. 8Holding
The Court disposed of the petition and directed the TNPSC’s Secretary and Controller of Examination to review the selection of candidates under the SC and SC(A) categories in accordance with W.A.(MD) No. 2471 of 2024, completing the exercise as expeditiously as possible and, in any event, within three weeks of receiving the order.
No costs were awarded, and the connected miscellaneous petitions were closed.
Source reference: p. 8Acts & Sections Cited
5 provisions across 2 statutes referred to in this judgment. Linked provisions open on LawLens.
Tamil Nadu Arunthathiyars (Special Reservation of seats in Educational Institutions including Private Educational Institutions and of appointments or posts in the services under the State within the Reservation for the Scheduled Castes) Act, 20094
Tamil Nadu Act 14 of 2016 (alias, unresolved)1
Original Court PDF
M.MAHENDRA BOOPATHIvsTHE GOVERNMENT OF TAMIL NADU
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