There are five tribal students from Chinnagovindapadi, Anaicut, in Tamil Nadu, whose attempts to secure their Scheduled Tribe (ST) community certificates have proved futile. Their applications have been rejected at the final stage, despite submitting three petitions in the last six months.
The New Indian Express reports that this incident came to light after M Babu, father of Jothisri, Kavya and Saagesh submitted a petition to the District Collector during the grievance meeting, on Monday, August 14. He said that the applications were rejected on the grounds of lack of sufficient evidence in his complaint, despite having submitted their mother's ST certificate as proof.
Jothisri is a Class XI student at the Government Model School, while Kavya studies in Class X at the Pallikonda Government School, both located in Anaicut. Their school has been asking them to submit their community certificate, but every application has been rejected by the Revenue Divisional Office (RDO), Babu says. He added, "The delay is also hindering their application for scholarships."
Other students being affected by this include Class V student Saagesh, as well as Rajasri and Yuvasri, who are Babu’s relatives and study in Class X and Class VII, respectively. The three of them also attend the Pallikonda Government School.
When contacted, the District Revenue Officer, Malathi said, "I have requested the RDO to investigate this issue. They will ensure that their certificates are issued."
